Platinum Bound
by MultipleShipper
Summary: FortuneShipping and a few TwinleafShipping moments. DawnXLucas LucasXDawn KoukiXHikari HikariXKouki whichever else you wanna call it :D Yeah, I suck at summaries haha. Do read if you wish to know more. Based on the games and slight manga allusions.
1. Serendipity

Okay, so I have been playing the games and I love Commander Mars' comment of "What, is this a lovey dovey couple to the rescue?" or what ever it is xD I have decided to make a FortuneShipping fic since I have been bored and stuck on another fiction I'm working on. This is Dawn/Hikari X Lucas/Kouki. I will basically be basing this story off of my Pokemon Platinum adventure. A ton of things will be changed, left out, or added. Mainly a bunch of stuff will be added and improvised.

Chapter 1:

Serendipity

**It was another peaceful morning in calm the town of Twinleaf.** The sun was just barely over the horizon and the flocks of Starly were starting to fly overhead for their morning feed. A light snow had fallen over the town, but not enough to cause any alarm.

Here we find young fifteen-year-old Dawn Berlitz. Even though it was almost six thirty in the morning, she was wide-awake and getting ready to leave. She hurried to get her new pink outfit on so she could leave and the only thing missing was her white scarf and hat.

Suddenly, 'ping!'

Dawn looked out her window and noticed her friend Barry. Barry was her 16-year-old friend. He was a very fast paced, and impatient boy with slightly spiky blonde hair and pale orange eyes. He was wearing his new winter outfit, but it wasn't too different from his summer one. He still wore his standard green scarf, and black pants. The only thing that had really changed was his shirt. He had switched out his short-sleeved white with orange stripes shirt, for a thicker long-sleeved orange and white shirt.

Barry had tossed a small pebble at her window signaling that she needed to hurry, but then again, in Barry time, fast was never fast enough. "Hurry up Dawn!" He said in a hushed tone. "I'm hurrying!" Dawn said as she opened her window.

Why was Dawn up at this early hour, and why was Barry meeting her? Simple. They were going to sneak out the house for a while. It was all harmless fun, but if Dawn's mother found out that she was leaving the house at this early hour she would probably be grounded for life.

After Dawn put on her hat and scarf she quietly snuck down the stairs, and left without making a sound. "Finally!" Barry complained. "Well sorry! My mother isn't exactly out of town right now!" Dawn whispered in a harsh tone. "Whatever, but c'mon! Lets get to the lake fast!"

When Barry said fast, he meant **fast!**

**

* * *

  
**

**"Oh and I'm the slow one?"** Dawn shouted as she looked back at Barry while they raced to the lake. Surprisingly, today Dawn was the one who was going to make it to the lake first. "Dawn look out!" Barry shouted, but it was too late. Dawn had collided into a young male, causing them both to fall to the ground.

The male looked to be Dawn's age. His black hair was covered with a red cap that had a pokeball logo on the side. He was also wearing a red scarf around his neck that fell over his gray and black shirt, and during their collision it had fallen off onto his blue pants. "I'm so sorry!" Dawn apologized as she supported herself off of him.

"No it's alright. I was the one who wasn't paying any attention." The guy stated as they both began to stand. Normally he would have gotten really angry if a person had ran into him like that, but there was something about this girl that kept him from being angry.

Dawn stood up and dusted herself off before continuing her conversation. "By the way, my name is-" but she was cut off by Barry. "Hold on just one second! You're going to just tell him your name like that? It took me weeks to get you to tell me your name!" He complained.

"Too bad Barry!" Dawn joked. "I'm Dawn." She finally introduced. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Lucas." Lucas said after putting his scarf back on. Suddenly a small orange chimp Pokemon hopped onto Dawn's shoulder. His tail was more or less just a flame and he had a small circle pattern on his chest. "Chimchar!" It called. "Eh?" Dawn was surprised at the sudden welcome of the tiny chimp.

"Looks like Chimchar has taken a liking to you." Lucas stated with a smile. "Is he yours?" Dawn asked. "No, he belongs to the Professor Rowan. I'm one of his assistants and he wanted me to take the three starters out for some fresh air by the lake."

Just as Lucas explained that, a small penguin Pokemon approached Barry. It had a tiny beak and the feathers around its eyes were white like the two dots on its front. On its back looked like a small cape. "Lup, lup Piplup!" It greeted in a shrill tone. "Well hey there little fella!" Barry greeted.

"That's Piplup if you haven't guessed already. Now where's Turtwig?" Lucas asked as he looked around. "Chim-ha!" Chimchar called from Dawn's shoulder as he pointed towards a small patch of clover. A small turtle-like Pokemon was busy munching on the clover leafs. Most of his body was green, but the shell on his back and under his belly were brown and black, and the small twig on his head was brushing against another tree branch that had fallen on the ground. "Come here Turtwig." Lucas called.

The Pokemon lifted his head and made tiny 'turt' noises as he continued to munch while he walked over to everyone. "So, why are you two out so early?" Lucas asked. "It's kind of a long story." Dawn answered as she rubbed Chimchar's head with her hand. Chimchar seemed to be enjoying Dawn's company, and Piplup was busy mimicking the poses that Barry was making. "I'll respect that." Lucas answered.

"We're sneaking out." Barry answered with a smirk.

_**Barry Rule #38- If Dawn wont answer a simple question, Barry will.**_

_"Hmm...If they're sneaking out that has to mean they're together right? Well, it couldn't hurt to ask."_ Lucas thought. "Oh, so you two together?"

"No, we're just friends. We're just having a little fun right?" Dawn said looking at Barry. Chimchar also looked in the direction of Barry, flashing his toothy smile. "Yeah, just friends." He said in a tone that was a little less enthusiastic.

Barry had always had a bit of a crush on Dawn, but he was almost one hundred percent positive that she didn't feel the same way. And from the looks of it, Chimchar wasn't the only one taking a liking to Dawn._ "Keep your hands to yourself and we won't have a problem." _Barry thought darkly.

A small Starly flew overhead casting a small shadow just a few feet away from the three. Starly noticed Lucas and quickly dived to land on his shoulder. "Star!" Starly called in a muffled tone. The little gray and black bird had a note in his mouth for Lucas. "For me?" Lucas asked as he took the note.

**'The Professor has left the lab! Hurry up big bro! You know how angry he can get, especially if the Pokemon are scattered.**

**~Anna' **

"Oh great." Lucas mumbled.

"Something wrong?" Dawn asked.

"Lucas, have the three Pokemon gotten enough exercise?" Came a loud voice not to far away. "Yes Professor Rowan, but it seems they-"

"No need to explain Lucas I can see for myself. Interacting with other people is good for their development, but we must be going. I have a lot to deal with right now, and we still need to find trainers for the starters."

"Yes Sir Professor. Just let me gather the Pokemon and I'll meet you back at the lab."

"Very well." Professor Rowan said before heading off.

Lucas turned back around to face Dawn and Barry, but he was mainly talking to Dawn. "Well, I guess I have to go. Maybe I'll see you around." He said hopefully. "Yeah, that would be nice." Dawn answered.

Suddenly Chimchar began to wail and huge tears were flowing from its eyes as he clutched onto Dawn's neck. "Looks like Chimchar doesn't want to leave you." Lucas said in a sympathetic tone.

_"Chimchar is not the only one who doesn't want to leave." _Barry thought to himself.

Piplup toddled away from Barry, but waved his little flipper in a 'good-bye' manner. Chimchar however still refused to leave Dawn's shoulder. "It's okay Chimchar. I'll probably see you again." Dawn said trying to calm him.

Chimchar was still not inclined to leave Dawn's shoulder so Lucas decided to try and pick up Chimchar. As he did this, his hand briefly brushed against Dawn's cheek, and for some reason unknown to her she felt a strange rush. "I'm sorry about Chimchar." Lucas apologized again as he held Chimchar in his arms.

"Hey, I'll be right back." Barry stated before beginning to walk away. "Okay, but yeah. It's alright Lucas I-"

"Dawn Berlitz! Explain to me why you left the house at this early of an hour! Let me guess: you were sneaking out to see this young man here!"

Dawn's eyes widened in fear as she realized that her mother had woken up and came to look for her. _"Wait, no. Aww crap! I forgot that she had to go to work today! That means she was awake the whole time! At least she wasn't out in the kitchen when I was leaving."_ Dawn thought.

But there was no way she could lie her way out of this, luckily for her Lucas was already thinking of something to keep her out of trouble. "Actually ma'am, she was just helping me with something." He started.

"Oh really, like what?" Dawn's mother asked in a snappy tone. "You see, I am one of Professor Rowan's assistants and this little Chimchar here got away while we were training. Of course I had to follow him if I didn't want Professor Rowan to kill me. I tracked him here to Twinleaf and that's when he decided to sneak into her room through her open window."

"Uh-huh, and just why was your window open?" Dawn's mother asked. "Do you not realize what temperature you keep the house at? And since I'm on the second floor all the heat rises to my room." Dawn thought it was amazing that she thought of something to add to Lucas' little lie. She also thought it was amazing that he had thought that up so fast. "And you know me, I wasn't about to bring the Chimchar back while wearing my pajamas. I got dressed then went to bring him this Chimchar back. I was going to leave a note, but Chimchar kept making a ton of noise and I forgot that you had to go to work so I thought you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up!" She added.

Dawn's mother seemed to believe what they were saying, but there was always that small thought that Dawn was lying. "I shall choose to believe you this time, but if I see this happen one more time you will be grounded for life you hear me young lady! Now, since you're up you might as well come back and get started on your chores."

Dawn sighed at the word 'chores' since her mother was the queen when it came to finding unnecessary, and useless chores to do. "Come on now. I have a whole list for you to do." Her mother continued as she began to walk away. Dawn began to follow her, but turned around to face Lucas. 'Thank you!' She mouthed, and Lucas smiled.

_"I do wish to see her again." _He thought as Chimchar let out a tiny whimper. "Lup!" Piplup called as he pointed his flipper in the direction that Barry had left in. "Whew! That was close. Good thing you can think on your feet!"

Lucas then realized that Barry must have noticed Dawn's mother coming so he left. "You left because of Dawn's mother didn't you?" He said in a suspicious tone.

"Well I wasn't about to get into trouble." Barry stated.

* * *

**"This whole list?"** Dawn shouted in dismay as she read the long piece of paper her mother had left her.

"Yes, and I expect that list to be done when I get back tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, I thought I told you that I had to work late tonight. Most likely I will be back around midnight. If that list is not done you _will_ be punished!" With that, her mother left and Dawn began to work on the unnecessary tasks after she got out of her winter clothes and into her usual spring clothes.

It was about eleven PM when Dawn decided to take a break from downstairs and go work upstairs. The upstairs portion of the house wasn't very large; it only consisted of her room, a middle sized bathroom, and a tiny bonus room. While she was just finishing cleaning her room she heard a thump noise.

A familiar orange chimp had climbed through her window –which she had left open so the smell of cleaning chemicals could escape.

"Chimchar? What are you doing here little guy?" Dawn asked as she bent down to his level. Chimchar extended his hand and held out a crumpled up piece of paper.

'Look out your window.**'**

Dawn stood up and walked over to her window. Chimchar followed her and hoped up on the window ledge. After that he pointed to the left at the ground. There stood Lucas, but he was now wearing a blue jacket. "Hey Dawn!" He said.

"Lucas, what are you doing here?" Dawn asked. "Chimchar actually got out this time, and it looks like he wanted to see you. I couldn't deny the little guy of his wishes so I helped him get here. I think Piplup wanted to see Barry so I let him out to go find his place."

"Piplup wont be able to reach him. Barry's room is on the second floor of his house."

"I already thought of that. I sent Turtwig with Piplup to help. How are your chores going?" Lucas asked, still smiling.

"Ugh, don't remind me! I still haven't finished!" Suddenly the two heard a loud crashing noise from the backside of the house. "Hold on a sec!" Dawn shouted as she hurried to get outside. "Is everything alright?" Lucas asked as Dawn came outside. "Yeah, but I think Glameow has done something stupid again!"

The two got around the backside of the house and noticed the small blue cat Pokemon with a twisted and bushy tail known as Glameow. She had been fighting a stray Luxray, another cat-like Pokemon, but Glameow had sustained some pretty bad injuries. "Glam...ow," she hissed weakly before collapsing.

"Glameow!" Dawn yelled as she rushed over to her. "Come on, let's get you healed up," she said as she picked her up. But Luxray would have none of this. He had just won his battle, and now these humans dared to intrude? Never!

"Luxray!" He snarled as he ran at Dawn using Spark. Electricity began to cloak the Pokemon, but when he jumped to attack Dawn something blocked him. "Char!" Chimchar screeched as the Luxray attacked him. Then Chimchar quickly sat up and used Ember, but his flame tail had gotten bigger and the attack seemed really powerful compared to the normal Ember.

"Ruxay!" Luxray hissed as the Ember scorched his fur. Luxray glanced back at Chimchar before dashing off into the forest. Dawn looked down at Chimchar with amazement. This little chimp had managed to protect Dawn and fend off the Luxray, but he had sustained some pretty bad injuries as well. "Lucas, grab Chimchar. I'm sure there's something in Glameow's medical kit that can help him."

"Glameow has her own medical kit?" Lucas asked as he picked up Chimchar. "Glameow was a Contest Appeal Pokemon, not a battler. And when it comes to common sense, she has zero of that."

Once inside Dawn's house, they sat the two Pokemon down on the table as Dawn grabbed a medical kit that had a small Glameow sticker in the top right corner. Glameow sat up and started licking her legs in an attempt to clean the blood away from her cuts. "Here, could you start cleaning the blood off of her fur?" Dawn asked as she handed Lucas a wet towel. "I need to change out of these clothes. If my mom sees blood on me she'll assume that I cut myself or something, and if she sees blood on Glameow she'll freak. Or assume that she has done something stupid again." She joked.

"Sure," he answered.

After a few minutes Dawn reappeared from upstairs wearing a blue and white version of her pink summer clothes, but she decided not to wear her hat and her scarf.

She noticed that Lucas was still cleaning Glameow, but after a few seconds he turned around with a bright smile. "Well, what do you think?" He asked as he stepped out of the way so Glameow could be viewed. She looked almost good as new, but some of her cuts were still visible and her fur looked very damp.

"Wow, you did a great job!" Dawn said. "Normally it would have taken me hours to even get close to her looking like that."

"Actually, what I found was that when she licked her front leg it got most of the blood, and so all I had to do was go over it with the towel."

Dawn smiled at him as she walked over to the table. Next she started looking through the medical kit so she could find something for both Glameow and Chimchar. "Spray this on her wounds while I treat Chimchar." Dawn said as she handed him a pink bottle labeled as 'Hyper Potion'. Dawn then grabbed a small orange bottle labeled as 'Super Potion' and began to spray it on Chimchar's wounds.

He winced at the bit of pain from the spray, but soon the cut went numb. "There you go Chimchar, all better." Dawn said as she finished with the spray. He looked up at her with sad eyes, but it made Dawn giggle a bit since he just looked so cute. "Will a kiss make it feel better Chimchar?" She asked, still smiling.

After that she picked him up and kissed his little cheek. Chimchar's face turned slightly red and he began to flail his tiny arms around his face.

Lucas had watched this and couldn't help but smile. He had finished with Glameow so she stood up and put her little white paw on Lucas' hand. This was her way of thanking him. She purred a bit before hoping off the table to go upstairs and rest on Dawn's bed.

Chimchar finally settled down, and Dawn decided to thank Lucas for helping her with Glameow. "You know Lucas, I can't thank you enough. You have saved me a lot of trouble. Oh, and I suppose that you will need to be taking Chimchar back right."

Yet again, Chimchar didn't want to leave Dawn. He had just saved her, and she had just healed him! _"Why would she want to give me back?" _Chimchar thought. "Actually, how about you bring him to Sandgem Town tomorrow. If you take him to Professor Rowan's lab I'm sure he would let you keep him since Chimchar seems so attached to you already."

"You mean it?" Dawn asked in a shocked tone. Lucas nodded, but then Dawn did something unexpected. She sat Chimchar down on the table then went to hug Lucas. "Thank you Lucas!" She said as she hugged him.

Lucas started to blush a bright scarlet red.

Just as this happened somebody opened the door. "Hey Dawn, I found this Piplup and Turtwig, you seen Chim-...good lord Dawn. You met him today and you're already hugging on him, and he's in your house? I always knew you were straightforward, but this is ridiculous!" It was Barry and he was holding Turtwig by his bottom shell in his hand, and Piplup was walking by his side.

Dawn quickly let go of Lucas and blushed a bit. "What are you doing here Barry?" She yelled.

"I could ask the same for your little friend here."

"Chimchar got out of the lab for real this time! Then Glameow got hurt so I asked him to help me since he had to come look for Chimchar."

"Yeah, sure. I know Glameow is a total klutz, but you can't fool me Dawn."

Dawn gave an exasperated sigh seeing that there was no reasoning with Barry. "And, since I am here I figured that I might as well help her with her chores since she isn't done with them. She needs to be able to bring Chimchar back tomorrow, but she can't if her chores aren't finished. You should probably bring Piplup back tomorrow. I can take Turtwig with me." Lucas added.

Dawn looked up at Lucas with a questioning look, but Lucas was looking at Barry. Barry rolled his eyes then sat Turtwig on the ground. "So basically you're telling me thought that I can keep Piplup?"

"Yeah, but you should bring him by Professor Rowan's lab in Sandgem tomorrow and just say that he came to find you. Once the Professor hears that he should let you keep Piplup."

"Sure, fine, whatever. I'll see you later Dawn." And with that he left along with Piplup. Piplup was pretty excited to go home with Barry since he thought that this meant Barry was his new trainer.

"Oh Barry." Dawn mumbled.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that I can't help you when it comes to Barry, but I can help you with just about everything else. I'm good for my word so what would you like to help you with?" Lucas offered.

Dawn thought that Lucas was just saying that to get by Barry.

"You don't actually have to help me. I don't want to-"

"I said I would help you and I intend to do as I say. Plus, its almost midnight and I saw your list over there and '12:00AM' was written in bright red ink, so I am assuming that you need to get all of that done by then. It's almost eleven thirty. I want to help you." Lucas interrupted with a smile.

"You're too kind you know that right? Okay though, could you help me clean the counters?" She asked.

"Of course." He answered. "Tur-Turtwig!" Turtwig called to Chimchar. "Chim!" Chimchar replied.

Over the next twenty minutes the two hurried through the remaining chores that Dawn had, and once they finished it was close to eleven fifty.

"I still will never be able to thank you enough." Dawn said once they finished cleaning upstairs. They were both sitting in her room. Dawn was seated on the edge of her bed with Chimchar and Lucas was sitting on the chair by her desk with Turtwig at his feet. "There's no need to thank me." Lucas stated.

"Can I at least ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"Why are you helping me?"

Lucas didn't reply for a moment. He was busy trying to figure out the answer to this question. Sure, on the inside he knew that he was just trying to get on her good side, but what could he say that wouldn't sound stupid?

"I don't know. I guess partly because I feel that it was my fault your mother caught you this morning."

Just as Lucas said this they both heard the door downstairs slam shut. Dawn's mother had come home a few minutes early. Both teens' hearts began to race at the thought of Dawn's mother coming up there and finding Lucas. 'What are we going to do?' Dawn mouthed.

Lucas shrugged a reply, but since he knew he wouldn't be able to leave through the front door so he had to think of something creative. That's when he spotted the window. Dawn noticed that he had glanced at the window. "You're not crazy are you?" Dawn whispered in a harsh tone.

"Kinda, but I would be even crazier if I even tried to go through the front door!" He replied. Dawn realized that he did have a point. "Just be careful!" She warned as Lucas put Turtwig in his pokeball. "Trust me, I will." He promised as he began to take his leave.

Surprisingly he made it to the ground without any problems, and since there was no downstairs window where he landed he had no worries of being spotted. "I'll see you later Lucas!" Dawn called in a more audible tone as she stood by the window. "Yeah, oh and I left Chimchar's pokeball on your desk! See ya' around!" He said before taking off. Now, the only thing he had to do now was figure out a way to explain to his father why he was out so late.

"Yeah, see you around." Dawn said in a bit of a dazed tone. "Well, it's good to see that all of the chores are done, but just who were you saying good bye to?"

Dawn's mother had walked into the room just as she said 'see you around' but luckily for Dawn her mother was dead tired so anything would probably suit.

Dawn was scrambling to think of something. The window was opened to let the smell of chemicals could flee, so maybe she could use this as part of her lie. "Oh hello mother dearest!" She greeted as she turned around. "I was just saying good bye to the smells of chemicals! No more of that nasty wood cleaner smell!"

Her mother gave her a pensive look before going to ask another question. "Alright, just how much wood cleaner did you actually use?"

"Probably too much! And you know my low tolerance for that stuff!"

"Right. I'm going to go to bed now. See you in the morning..."

After she left Dawn gave a big sigh. She was also proud of herself because she had thought that up so quickly. "Chimchar!" Chimchar called from behind her pillow. He had hidden there because he knew that Dawn's mother wouldn't like his presence. Dawn put her hand on his head as she sat down on her bed. "Well Chimchar, looks like you get to stay with me tonight." She said in a tired tone. "Char!" Chimchar squeaked. Dawn laid her head on her pillow to rest for a moment, but she ended up falling asleep.

Chimchar gave a toothy smile at Dawn as he went to the end of her bed and started to drag the large red blanket up to Dawn. He placed the blanket over her shoulders then went to turn off the light. He took notice that Dawn had turned on her side, so he knew he had to be careful that she didn't accidentally roll over on him during the night.

He snuggled up to her and the fire on his tail went out. Tonight would be a good sleep.

At least for Chimchar it would be. Dawn would always have the reoccurring dreams every few nights. She would always be on some dairy farm in Solaceon Town visiting some unknown friend and large black and gray wolf-like Pokemon with red and yellow eyes –known as Mightyena- would constantly attack her since their main source of prey had disappeared. Now, normally the dream would end when the second Mightyena would attack her, but this dream seemed to go on just a little longer.

Dawn could see the Mightyena running towards her, but instead of it attacking her, somebody knocked her out of the way. The person knocked them both into the grass and Dawn was curious as to who had saved her from the Mightyena. She looked up since the person was still practically on top of her, and noticed that it was Lucas! "L-Lucas?" She said in dismay.

"You're hurt!" He said as he moved a few strands of hair away from her forehead, which revealed a deep cut. This cut came from the first Mightyena that had attacked her earlier, but usually when the Mightyena attacked they left a few scars then left.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked. Dawn began to blush a bit as she answered. "Better, now that you're here."

He smiled at her, but the dream stopped because something was disturbing Dawn's sleep.

"Chimchar!" Chimchar squealed. This caused Dawn to wake up, but the sudden light made her vision blurred. "Chimchar, what's wrong?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes. Once her vision cleared she looked at her clock and noticed that it read '6:47'.

"Why Chimchar why?" She asked in a slightly angry tone. Even though normally she was a pretty decent morning person, today was just not the day to be a morning person. "Chim," Chimchar pouted.

Dawn looked at him with a blank expression before realizing that she needed to bring him back to professor Rowan. "Sorry Chimchar. Give my thirty minutes and I'll be ready." She said as she sat up. "Oh, looks like I forgot to get in my pajamas."

Chimchar gave a little laugh as he watched her gather her clothes then head off to take a shower and get changed. Chimchar settled back down on the edge of the bed to wait for Dawn. In no time Dawn came back and looked ready for the day. "You're going to have to go inside your pokeball just until I can get past my mom okay?"

He understood so he went over to his pokeball and recalled himself. Dawn grabbed the pokeball and then put it in her small backpack. Finally she got ready to head downstairs.

Once she got there, she noticed her mother sitting at the table reading a small letter. "I'm surprised to see you up this early." She said looking over at Dawn. "Same for you." Dawn said with a smile. "Okay, so I got a letter from Professor Rowan. It says that his assistant Lucas –I assume that's the boy from yesterday morning- was out training the Pokemon when a Chimchar escaped and came to you.

"Chimchar needs a trainer and he wants you to be the trainer since his assistant thinks that you are the right person for Chimchar."

_"Good ol' Lucas to the rescue." _Dawn thought. "Really?" She asked. "I guess so. Since you're up you might as well go."

"Awesome! I'll be back soon mom. But you're sure you don't mind?"

"No, go ahead. I trust you."

Dawn smiled as she quickly headed out the door to begin her walk. It took about five minutes to get from Twinleaf to Sandgem Town, but the next task was finding the Professor's place. "I wonder if Chimchar will be able to help." She mumbled as she released Chimchar.

The orange chimp came out and gave Dawn a huge toothy smile. "Say Chimchar, do you remember where to find the professor?"

He shook his head basically saying 'no'.

"Maybe I could be of some assistance." Somebody offered. Dawn turned around and noticed Lucas. Suddenly Dawn's dream came back to her. Lucas saving her from the Mightyena and what she had said to him when he asked if she was okay. This memory caused her to blush slightly. "Good morning Dawn." He greeted.

"Y-yeah, good morning Lucas." She replied in a nervous tone. Her tone concerned Lucas. "You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah! It's just that I had a nightmare last night that's all."

"Really?" He asked. He too had a nightmare last night, but he was trying to dismiss it as a coincidence. "Yeah, but it was nothing. How about we get to the Professor's."

"Sure."

* * *

**"Alright here we are!"** Lucas announced one they reached a very large building. Large windmills lined the field behind the building, and many Pokemon were running around the field. "Yep, this is the research lab. The professor should be waiting inside so lets-" Lucas was unable to finish because somebody had rammed into him causing them both to fall backwards. "Watch where you're going pal!" The person shouted. It turned out to be Barry. "Piplup!" Piplup called as it hurried after Barry. The only thing this little penguin didn't like about Barry was his pace. Piplup's legs were only able to carry him at a certain speed, and Barry didn't seem to understand this. "You alright Lucas?" Dawn asked frantically. "Yeah," he mumbled as he stood up.

"Be careful Barry!" Dawn scolded. He looked up and realized who he ran into. "Pardon me for running into mister perfect." He grumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dawn asked in an angry tone.

"Nothing, c'mon Piplup. We need to get to Jubilife City." He said before Dawn could question him further. Piplup sighed before hurrying after his trainer. Dawn knew better than to believe his 'nothing' comment. "What's his problem?" Dawn muttered. "How about we worry about that later? I'm sure the professor is eager to see Chimchar with his new trainer." Lucas said reassuringly. Dawn gave him a smile as he began to lead her to the research lab.

Everything went smoothly. Dawn did get to keep Chimchar, but that wasn't all Professor Rowan gave her. He decided that he wanted her help in filling the Sinnoh Pokedex so he asked her to be one of his assistants and naturally she accepted. She knew that her mother would most likely let her do this, so she had no worries, but Lucas did. Of course he was more than thrilled to have Dawn working in the same field as him, but he was worried that she would probably want to go on her own.

Professor Rowan finally finished one of his long and unnecessary lectures when Dawn and Lucas began to leave. "So I suppose that you'll need to go tell you mother about all of this?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, but I was wondering if you would come with me. I enjoy your company." After a quick second she realized what she had added, and she knew that it must have sounded weird. "That and my mother probably wont believe me." She quickly added as a small blush came across her face. Lucas laughed a bit. "Sure, and let me say one thing." He said as they began to walk off towards Twinleaf.

"I enjoy your company too."

This caused Dawn to blush harder, and she tried to hide it by changing the subject. "While I'm thinking about it, what was with Chimchar last night? After that Luxray attacked him he seemed different."

"That was Chimchar's Blaze ability. When his health gets low that kicks in and his fire moves become stronger. Turtwig has a similar ability but its called Overgrow. It works the same except his grass type moves become stronger."

"Interesting," Dawn said as she looked at Chimchar's pokeball. "So I'm guessing that Barry's Piplup has a similar ability? Something that makes his water type moves stronger?"

"You're catching on. I believe that it's called Torrent."

They both walked in silence for a few minutes just enjoying the scenery when they finally came upon Twinleaf.

Dawn's mother was in the front yard tending to some of the flowers when she noticed Dawn and Lucas. "Oh, I see that you have visited Professor Rowan, but who's this? I distinctly remember him from yesterday morning."

"Good morning Mrs. Berlitz. As you remember I'm one of Professor Rowan's assistants and he has a request. He would like Dawn to be one of his assistants and help complete his Sinnoh Pokedex. It's completely understandable if you decline, but the Professor wanted me to come and ask for him." Lucas explained in a polite manner.

Dawn's mother did have to give him credit for being so polite, but she still didn't quite trust him since, after all, he was a guy and Dawn was a girl. "I'm not sure I quite trust you."

"Well Mrs. Berlitz, if you would like I wont travel anywhere near Dawn." Dawn didn't like the sound of this, and now her mother was conflicting between the decisions. She knew it was time for Dawn to get outside of Twinleaf and Sandgem town, but she couldn't decide whether she should travel alone or not. Should she risk all of this being a lie and this boy was just making excuses to take Dawn from her? Or does she risk Lucas keeping his word of not traveling with Dawn and some weirdo come and take Dawn away from her.

The decision was clear. Her mother knew that if Lucas tried to do anything to Dawn that she would be able to stop it. Dawn was very independent, but a traveling companion would be good for her too. "No, I'd rather that if she does do this that she travel with someone. Dawn, if you plan on heading off today then I suggest that you go get packed. Lucas, I would like to speak with you while she does that."

"I'll be just a few minutes!" Dawn said excitedly as she hurried inside to begin packing. "Remember to pack light!" He mother reminded before turning back around to face Lucas.

"Now, I want you to remember a few things! One: if you even try to do something to Dawn I am positive that she will put a stop to it in a heartbeat! Two: please, I know this seems odd to be asking, but I would like you to keep her safe."

"Mrs. Berlitz you have my word. I won't let anything happen to Dawn on our trip. Professor Rowan wanted us to head to Oreburgh City first, but most likely we will have to stay in Jubilife City for the night." Lucas promised.

"Well then, once Dawn comes back you two can head off."

Dawn returned in a few minutes, and to her mother's surprise, she actually packed light. "Well, I'll see you later Dawn. Make sure you keep in touch!" Dawn's mother called as she and Lucas began to leave.

"So, where to first?" Dawn asked.

"Jubilife City, then Oreburgh City."

* * *

So, what do you think? Yes, this has been posted on both Deviant Art and the Serebii fourms. I AM FortuneShipper on both places, but hey, gotta keep up my pseudonyms ;D

Posting Chapter 2 shortly :D


	2. There's not a Chansey will listen

Okay, for this chapter we follow Dawn and Lucas on their way to Oreburgh City. First things first though, Jubilife City! Then, stay tuned for a battle with Barry!

Oh and, as for the Pokemon moves. I have made sure that every move that the Pokemon use can be learned by the Pokemon, a Move Tutor, an Egg Move or a TM.

I always look at Bulbapedia so I can use proper descriptions of moves, but if there has been no case of it being used in the Anime I will just go with what I think the move looks like.

Chapter 2

There's not a Chansey will listen

**The path leading from Sandgem Town to Jubilife City is normally a pleasurable walk.** It didn't take to long, but it wasn't so short that there was nothing to look at. For Dawn and Lucas though, this was not the case. According to another traveler, some trainer had come through the area and had challenged every Pokemon and Pokemon trainer in sight. Lucas stated that this was probably the cause for the absence of Pokemon.

None of the commonly seen Starly flew overhead, and that upset Dawn. She had been looking forward to getting a Starly since Lucas had told her that they could be very useful Pokemon. "Don't worry Dawn. We'll find a Starly sooner or later. If we don't find one here, we can find one on the way to Oreburgh." Lucas reassured with a smile. He found Dawn's whole attitude very amusing since she seemed so intent on catching a Starly that she refused to even stop looking for a second.

"So remind me why we are even going to Oreburgh in the first place." Dawn said, trying to take her mind off of catching a Starly. "Professor Rowan said that the gym leader there has a rare Pokemon. It should be beneficial to both of our Pokedex. Plus, I think at least one of us should challenge the gyms. It's more of an excuse to travel farther."

"You'll probably have to do the gyms..." Dawn said unenthusiastically. "Why?"

"I think my mom expects me to do contest's like she did. Honestly I don't think Chimchar would like the idea of dressing up to impress judges."

Lucas laughed a bit. "You know, I think you should challenge the gyms anyway. If your mother wants you to be happy I'm sure she'll understand if you don't want to do contests. And if you do decide that you want to do contests it won't matter. I'll cheer you on either way."

Dawn looked up since she had been facing the ground and gave Lucas a smile. "Thanks."

"No problem just let me give you some advice. The gym leader in Oreburgh specializes in rock-type Pokemon."

"So that means Chimchar will be weak to them right?"

"Exactly, but there are a few things you could do. Psyduck and Budew are common around there and they both have moves that are super effective against rock-type. I could let you borrow Turtwig if you would like, but then there is always the standard Chimchar plan."

"Pardon?"

"You train Chimchar till he evolves into a Monferno so he can learn Mach Punch. Mach Punch is a fighting-type move, and that is super effective against rock-type."

Dawn began to consider the last one, but it did seem a little harsh just to evolve him so he could beat that gym. "I think I might go with a Budew. What do they look like?"

Lucas pulled out his Pokedex, flipped it open, and then began to type a few things. "I think it would be a good Pokemon for you to have. Here," he said as he handed her his red Pokedex. She took it and began to look over the Pokemon. It looked like a simple plant bulb. The face was yellow with little beady black eyes. A darker green skirt was just below its face.

Dawn thought it was a pretty cute Pokemon. "Yeah, I think I'll go with that one!" She said as she handed him his Pokedex back. "Great, we'll go look for one later. It all depends on when we get to Jubilife City."

They continued their quiet walk through Route 202. No Pokemon ever came out during their walk, so it was more about enjoying the scenery. To fill some of the silence, Dawn and Lucas brought out Chimchar and Turtwig so they could have some fun. Chimchar liked to play tag with Turtwig, and surprisingly Turtwig was pretty fast.

However, there were two Pokemon following the trainers, but they remained unnoticed. One was a plump little beaver-like Pokemon, and the other was a purple and white skunk Pokemon. The skunk, Stunky, was seeking revenge on the trainer that had abandoned her a little over an hour ago. The only thing that she remembered about this trainer was that he was a male. She would have remembered more, but her trainer had made her fight extremely hard before she was released and that caused her to have a little amnesia. There was even a small scar on her forehead from where the trainers Starly had attacked her constantly.

The trainer had decided that Stunky was of no use to him since she seemed like a weak Stunky. The beaver, Bidoof, however was just following Stunky since she had convinced him that her trainer was the trainer that drove his mother Bibarel away.

Stunky started to do a handstand as the trainers and their Pokemon passed them. A black smoke began to secrete from her tail, and soon the whole area was covered with her Smokescreen.

Dawn began to cough, and her eyes began to tear since the smoke burned her eyes. Chimchar was trying to relocate Dawn and Lucas along with Turtwig, but the smoke was just too thick. When he took a step he suddenly fell.

Bidoof knew the move Grass Knot, and he had used it to trip Chimchar and Turtwig.

"Lucas!" Dawn said before beginning another coughing fit. "What's going on?"

"I...I don't know!" He said as he coughed. The smoke was getting thicker, and it was getting harder to both see and breathe.

Lucas was going to grab Dawn's hand so he could try to lead her out of the smoke, but something slashed at his knee before he could move. A decent cut had been cut across his knee, so it hurt to stand. That's when he spotted a cat-like figure. "Turtwig Seed Bomb!" Lucas ordered.

Turtwig was completely disoriented, but he opened his mouth and it looked like it was glowing when he fired the seed's in a random direction. The seeds didn't hit Stunky nor did it hit Bidoof, but it did provide a bit of light. That bit of light was enough to tell where Stunky was. "Chimchar, you have to use Ember! It's okay if you hit us!" Dawn yelled.

Chimchar gave an unsure whimper before doing as he was told. The small blobs of fire managed to hit Stunky, but Stunky refused to give up. She ran at Lucas again, and her claws began to glow. "Stun!" She hissed as she jumped to hit Lucas again, but she never hit him. Something had rammed into her, causing her to fly backwards. "Staravia!" The bird called as she flew up into the sky and started to flap her wings so she could use Defog and clear the smoke.

Once the smoke had cleared, Lucas and Dawn noticed the Staravia that had saved them. Chimchar tried to run towards Dawn but Bidoof had stopped him by using Grass Knot again. "Stunky..." the skunk groaned as she sat up. "Stunky just wont give up will she?" Lucas asked. "And why are Turtwig and Chimchar constantly tripping?" Dawn asked.

"There must be another Pokemon around here that knows Grass Knot, but we need to stop Stunky." Lucas explained as he looked up at Staravia.

If anything, Staravia was just a lager Starly. There was a small 'M' pattern on her front; her eyes were a little more bent inward than a Starly; there was a crest on the top of her head; and she wore a pendant around her neck that had a moon on it. Other than those features, she looked like a large Starly.

The moon pendant around the Staravia's neck reminded Lucas of his sister's Starly. She always put the moon pendant on her Starly except when she needed to deliver something to Lucas, so had she gotten Starly to evolve without him noticing?

"Stun Stunky Skuun!" Stunky hissed as the fur on her tail bristled. She took a step towards Dawn since she knew that the female was with the male, and this would provoke the male. If only she realized that they knew she was really weak at this point.

Her claws began to glow again as she attempted to run at Dawn. "Dawn, at this point I think Stunky would fight till she died! One of us needs to catch her!"

"Way ahead of you!" Dawn shouted as she grabbed something from her backpack. She pulled out a little white and red ball and then threw it at Stunky...but missed Stunky and hit something else. "You gotta actually hit Stunky Dawn!"

"You don't think I realize that?" She yelled. Stunky stopped running and began to make a hissing noise that sounded like she was laughing. "Oh you think that's funny do ya'?" Dawn shouted as she began to reach for another pokeball.

Lucas thought it was funny, and he knew that Stunky thought it was hilarious. He watched as she threw another pokeball. If this one missed he decided that he would take a shot at Stunky. Luckily it hit the Stunky, but now they had to worry about whether or not Stunky would stay in the ball.

It shook about three times, then made a little click noise. "Great job," Lucas commented. "Yeah, but where are Chimchar and Turtwig?" She asked as she went and picked up Stunky's pokeball. The two trainers looked around and didn't notice either of the Pokemon.

"Staravia!" Staravia called as she landed beside Lucas. She then rubbed her head against Lucas' legs while letting out soft whistles. "Yeah, you certainly are Anna's Staravia. How about helping us find Turtwig and Chimchar?"

Staravia perked up and made it look like she was saluting Lucas with her wing. After that she took off and then began to search for Turtwig and Chimchar. It only took her a few seconds to find them since they were just in the field over from where Lucas and Dawn were standing.

Turtwig and Chimchar were surrounding a small pokeball. Staravia landed by the two Pokemon and then asked what was going on. Turtwig explained that the Pokeball Dawn had thrown the first time hit a Bidoof and Chimchar wanted to go find it. Then something about another Bidoof trying to set him free by gnawing on the pokeball.

The last comment caused Staravia to laugh a bit, but then she remembered that Lucas was looking for these two. She told them this and then they began to head off, and Chimchar held the pokeball with Bidoof inside.

"There you are!" Lucas said once he saw the two Pokemon. "Chim-ah!" Chimchar called as he walked over to Dawn and handed her the pokeball. She picked it up and gave a fake laugh. "Looks like you found the pokeball that I first threw."

"Actually, I think you've caught something with it." Lucas stated in a surprised tone. "Really?" Dawn asked as she looked at the ball.

"Oh I get it now! You weren't actually aiming for Stunky the first time, you were aiming for that Pokemon." Lucas said jokingly. "Sure, we can go with that, but lets find out what you are! Come on out!" Dawn said as she tossed the pokeball. Out came a tiny little beaver Pokemon and he made a high 'bee' noise as he landed on the ground. "Hey, it's a Bidoof." Lucas stated.

"He's so cute!" Dawn cooed. She then proceeded to pick up the little beaver and give him a light hug. "Bi-Bidoof!" Bidoof called in a happy tone. Chimchar gave a small growl of jealousy as he watched Bidoof absorb Dawn's affection like a sponge.

While this was happening, Staravia landed beside Lucas and tapped him on his knee with her beak, but she didn't realize that this was the knee that Stunky had slashed. "Ow! Geez what was that for?" Lucas asked angrily. Staravia ducked her head a bit in shame because she didn't realize what she had done wrong. "Goodness Lucas, just yell at the poor thing." Dawn scolded as she walked over to Staravia with Bidoof still in her arms. She bent down and looked directly at Staravia. "Well you know what Staravia, I want to thank you for protecting us from Stunky."

Lucas wanted to apologize to his sister's Staravia, but his knee was hurting pretty badly, but that's when he noticed the small note attached to Staravia's leg. "Dawn, see what that note on Staravia's leg says." He said as he bent down and placed his hand over his injury. Dawn grabbed the note from Staravia's leg and began to read it. " 'Dear Lucas, I want you to take Starly, actually make that Staravia, with you on your journey. She became very restless after you left today so I decided that she wanted to go on a journey. Around that time she evolved so I hope she obeys you! Remember to keep in touch! Oh and her Pokeball is attached to her Moon Pendant.' And it was from Anna?" Dawn finished. "Oh my gosh Lucas!" Dawn yelled as she noticed Lucas' wound.

Bidoof hopped from Dawn's arms and began to look at the wound that Stunky had caused. "I'm sorry! I didn't even consider the fact that Stunky had hurt you!"

"Doof-bi!" Bidoof called. "Bidoof, back in the pokeball for a bit okay? Chimchar, Turtwig, Staravia, you three do the same okay?"

The three Pokemon gave their calls before Dawn recalled them into their Pokeballs and then turned her attentions to Lucas. "C'mon, let me help you. It's the least I can do considering I practically ignored the fact that you got hurt!"

"Dawn I think I'll be fine. No need to worry." Lucas said with a weak smile. "Lesson one: when you tell me not to worry, that's when I worry the most!" Dawn said as she kneeled down to sit in front of Lucas, who was now sitting on the ground.

"That sounds like something my mother would have said to me."

"Well that's what my mother tells me when I tell her not to worry!" Dawn stated in a more assertive tone.

"Oh so sounds like you're a mommy's girl." Lucas was beginning to enjoy teasing her like this, especially since her reactions were priceless. "You hear me mister! I am not, I repeat, _not_ a mommy's girl!" She yelled, as she got closer towards him without realizing.

"I dunno Dawn, it doesn't seem that way to me." He grinned as Dawn began to blush angrily. "How many times am I going to have to tell you that I am not a mommy's girl? I don't even call her 'mommy'! That's so childish! I'm fifteen not five!" Obviously she didn't realize how close she was to Lucas. Their faces were within inches from one another, and she was practically on top of him.

Lucas began to laugh a bit. "What's so funny?" Dawn asked, still furious. "You of course. I got you so worked up that you don't even realize your current position. If someone were to come over here they would get all the wrong ideas."

Dawn looked around for a second before realizing that Lucas was right. Now she began to blush bright red and she quickly stood up. "Oh whatever! Let's just get to Jubilife City and fast."

"Fine, but I'm not sure I can walk so fast."

"I don't even think you're hurt that bad."

"Maybe not," Lucas replied as he stood up. His knee was still hurting, but he figured that it was best not to bother Dawn any further. But he also knew that it would be tough not to bug her.

Once they began to resume their walk, Stunky decided that she didn't want to stay in her pokeball. A white light flashed from Dawn's backpack and Stunky appeared on the ground. She was still in a fighting mood so she gave a low growl at Lucas. "Stunky, please understand. You're hurt, and you need to stay in the pokeball till we can get you healed properly."

Stunky shook her head in protest. To her, being crammed in a pokeball was no fun what so ever! She'd sooner eat rotten berries that do that! "Skun!" She hissed as the fur on her tail stood on end. Lucas took this as a sign that she was going to spray them with her Poison Gas, so he grabbed Dawn's arm and pulled her back slightly. "Careful," he warned. What he didn't know was that Stunky was unable to use moves like Poison Gas, or any Poison type move for that fact. Not even her mother Skuntank understood this phenomenon, but that's why she learned moves like Slash and Night Slash earlier than a normal Stunky would.

"Something tells me that Stunky doesn't want to stay in her pokeball." Dawn stated. "Maybe, but I don't think you want to get sprayed with Stunky spray. The scent will last for more than a day you know." Lucas replied as he let go of her arm.

"Maybe...come here Stunky." Dawn called. Stunky made her way over to Dawn, one uneasy step after another, but what she didn't expect was Dawn picking her up. Since Stunky was a Pokemon she possessed an ability that most humans didn't have. Normally it was vary between each species of Pokemon, but for Stunky she was able to sense what lies in a human's heart. If the human had dark ambitions, Stunky would know.

If the human had no intention of that sort of ambition, Stunky would know. But she found Dawn different from most humans she had met. It was almost as if Dawn couldn't decide what path she would choose.

Dawn carried Stunky in her arms and would occasionally give her loving strokes, and a scratch behind the ear. The soothing rhythm of the stokes and the stride of Dawn had relaxed Stunky enough to where she fell asleep.

Lucas noticed this and couldn't help but smile. He had to hand it to her, she was good with Pokemon. Especially since Stunky had been vicious only moments ago, but there remained one question: Why had Stunky behaved like that? And why was Stunky here in the first place? Stunky weren't normally found along this route.

The only thing he could think of was that this Stunky once belonged to a trainer, but that trainer gave her up.

Within fifteen minutes the two trainers finally came upon Jubilife City. It was close to twelve thirty and the streets were crammed with people and Pokemon alike. Street vendors were constantly trying to get people to buy their items for sale. A lone Magikarp stand was stationed right beside the Pokemon Center so he could try and get the trainers to buy his fish. Lie after lie about how these Pokemon were really powerful, or how they would make you rich. Lucas made sure that he warned Dawn about this guy since he was notorious for ripping of new trainers then leaving the next day so he couldn't be caught.

When the two trainers walked in the Pokemon Center, and just barely making it past the Magikarp vendor, they took notice that it seemed to be completely empty. Two trainers were sitting on a bench talking. The female had a rather large Glameow on her lap, and the male had a small purple rodent on his lap. Glameow was eying the little rat with interest, and the rodent seemed nervous.

Nurse Joy was standing behind the counter, but her back was turned away from the trainers since she was busy organizing some files. At her side was a pink, egg-shaped Pokemon that wore a little nurse's hat. A small pouch was on her front, and an egg was nestled inside of the pouch. "Chansey!" The Pokemon greeted in a shrill tone. Nurse Joy then turned around and noticed the trainers, and she noticed Stunky.

This nurse had a distinct dislike for Stunky because of their smell, and their looks. Of course she would never let anyone know this since she was after all the person who healed their Pokemon. "Welcome," she greeted in a sweet tone.

After Lucas and Dawn gave Nurse Joy their Pokemon they headed into the city to do a little browsing. They stopped for a late lunch, did a little shopping –more like Dawn did a little shopping- and then they returned back to the Pokemon Center to pick up their Pokemon.

When they entered, they noticed a familiar blonde trainer arguing with Nurse Joy. "Nurse Joy my Pokemon are fine!" Barry argued.

"Young man you must be extraordinarily ignorant to not realize how hurt they are! Your Piplup, well I've never seen one in such a condition! That Ponyta of yours is in no better of a condition!" Nurse Joy yelled. Barry flinched a bit at the sudden outburst of the nurse, but he kept his calm stature.

Dawn and Lucas were shocked both by Barry and Nurse Joy. Dawn was worried that Barry was being too harsh towards his Pokemon, and she knew her guess was right by the way Nurse Joy was acting. "Ugh fine! I'll leave them here for now, but I don't have all day you know! My battle in Eterna City is coming up soon!" Barry hissed as he slammed three Pokeballs on the counter, and then began to storm off.

He didn't even notice Dawn and Lucas on his way out. Dawn wanted to go after Barry, but something told her that now wasn't the time to be speaking with him. Lucas turned away and walked towards the counter to retrieve his and Dawn's Pokemon. Dawn didn't follow since she was to busy staring out the window watching Barry walk down the sidewalk. She couldn't quite explain it, but there was some background feeling of sympathy for him.

Lucas returned to her shortly with six Pokeballs in hand. "Okay Dawn, you ready to go?" He asked. She didn't reply. Her gaze was still concentrated outside. Lucas instantly knew that she was worried about Barry. He smiled at her sympathetically, but she didn't notice.

He placed his Pokemon in his backpack then stood in front of Dawn. He picked up her right hand and placed her Pokeballs in her palm. "I'll wait here. You go calm Barry." He instructed with a smile. All of this had surprised Dawn, but never the less she smiled back then headed off before putting away her Pokemon.

This time Lucas watched her leave, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy. She worried about Barry so much. "I'll bet she wants to travel with him. Not me." He mumbled in a slightly hurt tone.

* * *

**"Barry!" Dawn called.** He still didn't hear her. "Barry you better listen to me!" She yelled in a louder tone. Finally he stopped since he recognized her voice. "Oh, hey Dawn." He mumbled as she caught up to him. He wore an indifferent expression, while Dawn wore a worried expression. "What was that about?" Dawn asked as she tried to catch her breath.

"What was what?"

"At the Pokemon Center!"

"Oh that. It was nothing. Nurse Joy just doesn't understand my training methods that's all."

"I knew it. I knew it all along! I figured that you were training your Pokemon to hard! Barry it takes love to raise a Pokemon not just brute force!"

"Oh great. More mumbo-jumbo for your little boyfriend."

"Call him what you like, but he's a great trainer. Far better of a trainer than you will ever be if you keep acting like this."

That last comment made Barry furious. "Whatever Dawn. But let me guess, he has taught you everything about battling!"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Not _everything_. Just the basics."

"Then how about you and I battle? Three-on-three."

"You left your Pokemon-"

"I gave her empty Pokeballs."

"Fine then."

* * *

**It had been a little over half an hour since Lucas had seen Dawn.** He didn't know whether to be worried or assume that he was right about Dawn wanting to travel with Barry. He got up and left the Pokemon Center and walked slowly down the sidewalks.

As he was walking two trainers rushed past him. "C'mon Slowpoke! If we don't hurry up we wont get to see that gal get crushed!" The older of the two boys yelled back to the younger boy.

Lucas ignored them and continued his walk. But soon more people rushed past him and this time they said something about a young bluenette getting creamed by some blonde guy.

He quickened his pace to follow where everyone was going. After a few short seconds he came upon a huge crowd. In the middle of the crowd stood Dawn and Barry battling. Bidoof had just fainted, and Barry's Ponyta let out a pleased nay. "Dawn!" Lucas shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd. Dawn looked up and noticed Lucas, but quickly looked away as she tossed out her final pokeball. Chimchar and Bidoof had been knocked out by Ponyta without doing much damage.

Something about using Stunky worried Dawn, but Stunky was her final hope. After a quick flash of white light Stunky appeared. "Skun?" She mewed in a puzzled tone. She noticed Barry, and began to hiss as him. She now remembered clearly that this was the trainer that had abandoned her.

"Alright, Ponyta Ember!" Barry ordered. The horse Pokemon reared up then sent blobs of fire from her mouth, but Stunky avoided them easily. "Smokescreen!"

Stunky did a handstand and a thick black smoke came from her tail, which blinded Ponyta. "Now, Night Slash!" Stunky's paws began to glow with a purple light as she raced at Ponyta, and knocked her out in one hit.

"Awesome Stunky!" Dawn cheered.

Lucas smiled at her victory, and the crowd around him seemed to be shocked at the sudden turn in the battle. "Ponyta return. Go Starly!"

Sadly, Barry fell for the same tactic twice. Smokescreen then Night Slash knocked out Starly quickly, but next came Piplup. Dawn knew better than to use the same tactic for a third time.

"Piplup, Bubblebeam!" Barry ordered. Piplup's beak began to glow then he released a heavy stream of bubbles. "Stunky, use Fury Swipes to get rid of the bubbles!"

Stunky started to swipe at each bubble with her claws, making every single one of them pop before they could even land on her fur. "Now use Slash!"

The hit must have been critical since Piplup was now looking very weak. Barry seemed surprised at how Dawn and Stunky had managed to turn this whole battle around easily.

Stunky was still in a fighting mood since she wanted to show Barry that it was wrong to abandon her because he thought she was weak.

"Alright Stunky, finish him off with Night Slash!"

The battle ended just like that. Stunky began to smile and prance around a bit as if she was doing a little victory dance. "I guess that Stunky wasn't as worthless as I thought." Barry mumbled as he picked up Piplup and then began to walk away.

Dawn didn't know whether to be happy or mad. She had won the battle with Stunky, but then again, Barry's Pokemon were weak from the start. So, was this a fair battle?

"Great job Dawn." Lucas congratulated once he finally got through the small crowd that was now beginning to disperse. She turned around and gave Lucas a smile. "C'mon, we better get going. Oreburgh Gym can't wait forever you know." He said in a cheerful tone.

"Yeah, I guess so." Dawn replied with little enthusiasm. "Stunky, return."


	3. Selene's Grace

Okay, so this is chapter three! Finally we get to battle Gym Leader Roark! But I must warn you, he is very out of character for he is a...flirt ***dramatic music plays***

Chapter 3

Selene's Grace, what added effect will it be?

**Dawn and Lucas had arrived in Oreburgh City in the dead of night and when they got to the Pokemon Center they ran into a problem.** There was only one room left, and there was only one bed in that room. Lucas proposed that Dawn stay in the bed, and that he slept on the floor. Dawn thought that this was hardly fair, but agreed anyways.

The room was rather small, so this made Dawn feel even worse. Lucas assured her that it was okay with him, and after both of them had gone to change into their pajamas they quickly fell asleep, but hardly received any sleep.

Around five-thirty in the morning some loud sirens started to play and large machinery began to start up. Work down in the Oreburgh Mines was starting, and this caused Dawn and Lucas to wake up. "Wonderful, third day in a row that I have been awoken at an early hour and went to sleep late. This has got to be bad for my health." Dawn complained as she sat up in the bed.

"It could be worse," Lucas suggested as he sat up and began to stretch his arms a bit. "I mean we could have had to camp out in that cave."

"Eww, you couldn't pay me a million dollars to sleep in the Oreburgh Gate. That place was creepy!"

Lucas laughed a bit as he recalled the mass amount of Zubat –small blue bat-like Pokemon– that seemed to be so attracted to Dawn while they were walking through the cave. "It wasn't funny!" Dawn yelled before tossing a pillow at Lucas.

"Yes it was, and you know it!"

"It was funny when that one Zubat bit you because you had gotten to close to me." Dawn spoke with a grin. "Now that hurt! I still have a mark from it!" Lucas replied as he threw the pillow back at Dawn. Dawn giggled as the feathery pillow barely hit her and she watched as Lucas stood up and began to gather his things. Obviously he didn't realize how Dawn was looking at him. She didn't even realize that she was staring at him.

This was the first time Dawn had stayed in the same room with a guy who didn't sleep with a shirt on. Just as Lucas was about to walk into the restroom to change, Dawn picked up the pillow again and threw it at him. The pillow landed against his back and then fell to the floor. "Oh, this means war." Lucas stated as he turned around and proceeded to pick up the pillow.

They tossed the pillow back and forth before Dawn grew tired of the sport. "Okay, I'm tired of this. And you know what? We still didn't find a Budew!"

"You can use Turtwig if you would like." Lucas offered.

Dawn agreed to use Turtwig and after they both got finished with their showers and getting changed, they headed off to get breakfast then head for the Oreburgh Gym.

While the two were walking through town, Bidoof decided that he didn't want to stay in his Pokeball. "Do any of you actually stay in your Pokeballs?" Dawn asked looking down at Bidoof.

"Bidoof bi, bi!" The little beaver called in a happy tone. "Hey Dawn, if I remember correctly, Bidoof knows Grass Knot. That could be useful in your gym battle."

"Looks like you're going to battle Bidoof." Dawn stated as she bent down and patted Bidoof's head. He made a little noise that sounded like he was cheering, but it didn't last to long.

A small gray and blue dinosaur-like Pokemon with a snort tail, stubby arms, and blood red eyes had decided that it would be a good idea to ram into Bidoof. "Cra-cray!" The Pokemon called.

Bidoof sat up and his eyes were filled with angry tears. He dug his little claws into the ground and this caused some shoots of grass to trip the dinosaur Pokemon. "Cranidos what are you doing?" The Pokemon's trainer called from a few feet away. The trainer was male; he looked to be eighteen in age; both his hair and eyes were a cordovan brown; his outfit identified that he worked in the mines; and the sight of Cranidos caused Lucas to realize that this was the gym leader.

"I beg your pardon –hello little missy." He restated in a more suave tone towards Dawn. "Uh...hi?"

"My name is Roark." He introduced as he held his hand out. Dawn timidly shook his hand before introducing herself. "I'm Dawn."

"Dawn huh? Lovely name for a lovely girl."

Dawn blushed a bit and Lucas felt a hint of jealousy. "Thanks I-I guess." She replied. "So Dawn, what brings you here to Oreburgh?"

"I'm going to challenge the gym."

"Really? Well in that case I'll let you know that the Gym Leader is me." This took Dawn by surprise. She thought he was just some weirdo flirt, but instead he was the Gym Leader...and a weirdo flirt.

"Interesting, well me and my _boyfriend_ Lucas over here will be heading to the gym shortly." Dawn said in a worried tone.

"I'll be looking forward to it. Gym opens in ten minutes, so you better hurry before another challenger shows up." Roark said, completely dismissing the boyfriend comment. Dawn watched as he walked away with Cranidos and wore a confused expression.

"Idiot..." Lucas grumbled as he silently cursed at Roark. How dare he just randomly show up and begin to flirt with Dawn? He barely knew her!

"Earth to Lucas! We have a problem!" Dawn shouted. "Bidoof!" Bidoof agreed as he went to stand by Dawn's feet. "We do?" He asked. "Yeah we do! Roark is a complete weirdo who wants to flirt with me and I told him you were my boyfriend!" She shouted frantically.

"Okay, I'll agree with you on the fact that he is weird, but its not like he really expects me to really act like a lovey-dovey boyfriend does he?"

"But you've seen those TV show's and those movies where the girl is like 'yeah he's my boyfriend' 'yeah, we're getting married!' But what always happens? Somebody has the audacity to say 'really? Lets see a kiss!' What'll happen then huh?" Dawn asked, as her tone steadily increased.

"I don't think he's going to ask that." Lucas said, but how he wished he were wrong. Of course he would never force himself upon Dawn like that, but still, kissing Dawn would probably make his day just that much better. "_What am I thinking?_" Lucas thought. "_She's very beautiful, that I won't deny, but how can I think like that?_"

"Watch, he will." Dawn grumbled as she began to walk away with Bidoof. Lucas just stood there watching her leave, thinking about everything. Then he realized that he should probably go with her since he was her 'boyfriend'.

* * *

**"I was wondering when you would get here." Roark greeted as Dawn and Lucas entered the gym. **The gym was very large indeed. The battlefield was mostly rock with a few sprigs of grass in random patches. Large bleachers lined the side of the gym, indicating that Roark's gym was pretty busy at times.

"Dawn, this will be a two-on-two battle. Pick the Pokemon you want to use and then have your friend sit on the sidelines if you would." Roark instructed as he began to walk to the other side of the gym.

Dawn quickly handed all her Pokeballs –excluding Bidoof's- to Lucas and then he gave her Turtwig's pokeball. "Be good to Turtwig." He joked before walking away. "Your Pokedex will be able to tell you what moves Turtwig knows!"

"Alright, lets go Turtwig!" Dawn called as she released Turtwig. "Twig, twig!" He called.

"Turtwig huh? Well I'll start with Nosepass! Come on out!" Roark ordered. A small rock Pokemon appeared in a red flash, but Dawn could have sworn he just threw a rock onto the field. It looked like a jagged boulder, but a bright red nose was clear on the front with eyes that looked shut.

"Nosepass huh?" Dawn mumbled as she brought out her Pokedex.

"_Nosepass, the compass Pokemon. When endangered, it may protect itself by raising its magnetism and drawing iron objects to its body_." The Pokedex read in a robotic tone.

After giving Dawn a quick second to look at Turtwig's moveset, the referee began to call the match. "This will be a two-on-two battle between Gym Leader Roark and Trainer Dawn. The Gym Leader is not allowed any substitutions, but the trainer is free to switch Pokemon if needed. Let the battle begin!"

"I'd be honored if you would go first Dawn." Roark invited, but the only reason he was doing this was to see what type of strategy Dawn would be using. Once he figured it out, this battle was as good as over. Then Dawn would have no other option then to come back for another challenge.

"Turtwig, use Seed Bomb!" Dawn ordered. The tiny grass turtle opened his mouth widely and then what looked like three glowing spheres flew from his mouth.

Roark knew that this move would be super-effective against his Nosepass, but like any good Gym Leader, he had something to counter. "Ice Punch!"

The fist of Nosepass began to ice over and then his arm seemed to detach from his body and sped towards the oncoming Seed Bombs. Once they made contact the seeds froze and just dropped to the ground.

Dawn suppressed an astonished gasp, and Turtwig looked upset that his attack didn't hit. "Nosepass!" The Pokemon called as his arm returned to its spot. "You'll have to strategize better than that Dawn if you wish to win!" Roark said in a cocky tone.

Lucas was just about to say the same thing, when he realized that Chimchar had come out of his pokeball along with Stunky and Staravia. "Chimchar! Chim, Chim!" Chimchar cheered as he did a little dance on the edge of the seat. Stunky let out a hiss of agreement with Chimchar and Staravia just seemed to be watching.

"Turtwig, get closer to Nosepass then use Razor Leaf!" Dawn ordered.

Turtwig did as he was told, but when he got to a certain point, Roark gave another order. "Thunder Wave!"

Nosepass started to build a tiny ball of static and then he tossed it at Turtwig. "Turtwig Withdraw!" Dawn ordered, and as she did Turtwig stopped running and withdrew into his shell just in time for the small ball of static to hit him.

Small pulses of electricity danced around Turtwig's shell, then stopped so Turtwig popped out of his shell, completely unharmed.

Lucas smirked at Roark's confused expression. Obviously he didn't know that Turtwig's shell was made of soil, and therefore electricity didn't bother him if he withdrew back into his shell.

"Now, use Razor Leaf!" After she had said this Turtwig began to last his head back and forth while the little leaf on his head began to glow and release more leafs. Nosepass' face was battered with the tiny leafs, but once Turtwig stopped Nosepass just stood there like nothing had happened. "Passs," he mumbled. There was a hint of stress in his tone, but it wasn't enough to make Roark worry.

Chimchar and Stunky began to cheer even louder, and Stunky did a paw-stand and lashed her tail around like a pompom. Chimchar noticed this and decided to talk to Stunky about this. "Ah!" He squeaked at her. Stunky stopped cheering and looked over at Chimchar with a look that said, "What's up?"

He told her that if she stood on her hind paws she would be able to see the battle and cheer at the same time. Stunky understood his point and gave it a try. At first she seemed a little shaky, but she gained her balance and began to purr in delight as she clapped her claws together.

"Nosepass use Ice Punch again!" Before Turtwig had a chance to react, Nosepass hit him with his iced hand, and it even froze Turtwig partly. The left half of Turtwig was frozen to the ground, and only a bit of his head and legs were free to move. "Turtwig!" Dawn shouted. "Now, use Stealth Rock!" Roark ordered.

Nosepass began to glow a bit and then large boulders landed on the ground around the whole arena.

Lucas quickly realized the strategy he was using. It was completely obvious that he was intending to either freeze, or badly damage Turtwig to the point where he would have to be recalled or to where he would faint, then he would use Stealth Rock so the next Pokemon that came into battle would be injured.

Turtwig was trying to thrash his way out of the ice, but he was having no luck. He gave Nosepass a defiant stare, and suddenly, a tiny seed came from the leaf on his head and it fired at Nosepass. The seed landed on Nosepass' nose and then sprouted roots. A red energy began to flow around Nosepass and Turtwig seemed to be getting healed.

This caused Nosepass to instantly faint. "Ah! Nosepass!" Roark yelled in dismay. "Nosepass is unable to battle! This round goes to Turtwig!"

"Way to go Turtwig!" Dawn cheered, but she was secretly wondering what move Turtwig had just used.

Lucas smiled at the victory of his Turtwig, but he knew that Turtwig wouldn't be able to handle much more.

"Okay, Nosepass return! Go, Cranidos!" Roark called as he replaced Nosepass with his Cranidos.

"Cray-nee!" Cranidos roared. Turtwig's facial expression turned panicked and his eyes were bulging. "Twee!" His cried. "Stay calm Turtwig!"

"So Dawn. You think you can take down Cranidos like you did Nosepass?" Roark asked. "Of course! With Turtwig and my other Pokemon there's no way we can loose!" Dawn replied with confidence.

_"That's right Dawn! Think positive and you can't loose!"_ Lucas silently cheered while he wore a smile.

Roark chuckled at her enthusiasm, but he knew that this battle was over. "Cranidos, use Flamethrower!"

Bright flames were released from the dinosaur's mouth and since Turtwig was mostly frozen he was unable to dodge. The ice around him melted, but since Turtwig was already weak from the previous battle, this was just too much.

After the flames stopped Turtwig fainted. "Oh no!" Dawn shouted as she ran over to Turtwig and picked him up. She tapped his pokeball on his head lightly and once he was recalled and she was back in her spot she called out Bidoof. "Bi! Daah!" Bidoof called as the rocked that lined the clearing flew up in the air and rammed into him.

Stunky let out a call of dismay as she watched her friend get hit with the rocks.

Dust flew up into the air, causing everyone to be unable to see either Pokemon. Dawn was worried that this single move was enough to cause Bidoof to faint. But eventually the dust cleared and Bidoof was standing there while wearing a confident smile. "Alright Bidoof!"

"Focus Energy Cranidos!" Roark called. A blue aura began to surround Cranidos and in a flash it disappeared, but Cranidos was looking even more ready for battle. "Now use Take Down!"

Cranidos began to run towards Bidoof, but the top of his head began to glow with a blue light. When he made contact with Bidoof it sent him flying. "Well, well, well, it looks like Cranidos has finally learned Zen Headbutt. Not long till he evolves."

Dawn began to wonder what to do next. Cranidos had just learned a new, and powerful move, and to add on top of that, Bidoof was growing weaker by the second. There was only one option, "Grass Knot!"

Bidoof sat up and dug his claws into the ground, causing the sprigs of grass to shudder a bit, and then it made Cranidos trip. "Looks, like we'll have to put a stop to that." Roark mumbled. "Cranidos, burn all the grass with Flamethrower!" He ordered.

Cranidos started with freeing his feet from the grass, then he sat up and began to shoot blasts of fire at every patch of grass. Once they were all burned to a crisp, there was no move Bidoof could use that would affect Cranidos.

They were sitting ducks now.

"Zen Headbutt!"

"Bidoof Defense Curl!"

He wrapped himself into a tight ball just as Cranidos hit him, so it didn't do much damage. "Try again!" Roark ordered, and this time Bidoof had no time to use Defense Curl.

Roark ordered this a few more times, and by the time he was finished, Bidoof was hardly able to stand. "Bee..." he cried feebly. "Bidoof!" Dawn shouted. Just as she was about to give up, Bidoof began to glow. His whole body was cloaked in a white light and he began to change shape.

He became taller and more bulky; he had a tan mark on his chest that looked like a bib; a 'mask' on his face; his tail became broader and his teeth were more pronounced. "Bibarel!" He called in a more sturdy tone. "What?" Dawn asked as she again pulled out her Pokedex.

"_Bibarel, the beaver Pokemon. A river dammed by Bibarel will never overflow its banks, which is appreciated by people nearby._"

Dawn also took notice that he had learned a new move. "No matter, we'll just take him out like we almost did a few minutes ago! Cranidos, use Take Down!"

"Bibarel, dodge using Roll Out!"

Bibarel curled into a tight ball bud this time he moved out of the way by rolling up a boulder and jumping in the air. Cranidos tried to look up at Bibarel but to no avail, and Dawn noticed this.

"Bibarel, use Roll Out again to get in the air, then you know what to do from there!" She shouted, hoping that he understood what she wanted him to do.

"It's no use using Grass Knot since Cranidos burned all of the grass." Roark called. Dawn waited till Bibarel was about to use Water Gun to reply. "Wasn't going to use that!" She shouted.

A small stream of water rushed from Bibarel's mouth and it hit Cranidos head on, causing him to faint. Bibarel then landed on the ground and crossed his arms in a proud manner. Dawn hurried over to Bibarel and noticed that he was even taller than she was. The Pokedex stated in the info that they were usually close to three feet, not over five feet. But she gave him a big hug and Bidoof began to pad his tail up and down in the way a Poochyena would wag their tails. "Way to go Dawn!" Lucas cheered. Chimchar did mini flips in the air and Stunky was busy clapping. Staravia was still just watching curiously though.

* * *

**"Well, I guess that's what I get for doubting your strength, and the strength of your Pokemon." Roark congratulated Dawn as they stood outside of the gym.** A large boulder Pokemon with four arms was standing beside him and held a small case in his lower set of arms. "I hereby award your victory with the Coal Badge." He announced as his Graveler held up the case and inside was the Coal Badge. Dawn picked it up and pined it on her Scarf.

"The next gym is in Eterna City. The Gym Leader there is much stronger than I am." He warned. "And remember, I have the feeling that our path's will cross once again, and I most certainly look forward to that day."

Lucas sighed and Dawn felt a strong feeling of unease as they began to walk away. Roark watched as the two trainers left on their way to go through the Oreburgh Gait, and he smiled once more as they left his line of sight.

"So, are you sure that it's her?" He asked aloud to no one in particular. That's when a tall girl with a fair shade of short green hair stepped out from beside the gym. "Positive," she answered as a slight breeze ruffled her coat that looked like the wings of a Xatu. "Roark, I fear for her. Something is going to happen, I can't say when, but something is going to happen. You remember what I told you yes? I need to know if there are any changes." She spoke, as her bright green eyes seemed to glow with the rising sun. She pulled out two white Pokeballs that had a red line down the seal part.

She threw them on the ground and two Pokemon came out. The first was a psychic Pokemon known as Gardevoir. The Pokemon's body was cloaked with an elegant looking white dress; she did have slender white legs, but it looked more like she was levitating; her hair and arms were a subtle green and there seemed to be a red 'horn' on her front.

The second Pokemon was a condor-like Pokemon with wings that looked like a tribal blanket; underneath his wings were designs that looked like eyes, and on the back of his head were long red feathers. "Xatu, Gardevoir, is the future still the same, or has it changed?" The girl asked.

Xatu stared up at the sun and Gardevoir closed her eyes and seemed to be thinking about something. After a few silent –if you ignored the sounds of machinery it was silent- seconds both Pokemon glanced back at their trainer. "Gardevoir says that Xatu has stated something about the male traveling with her. He says that he holds the power to change her destiny. The female holds the power to become an extraordinary trainer, but if she chooses the wrong path, Sinnoh will collapse as we know it!"

Roark seemed a little shocked, and even his Graveler wore a worried expression. "Well Selene, I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on her. Do any others know of this?" Roark asked timidly.

"Only two others for now. Lucian and the trainer you call Champion. I can't recall her name at the moment, but she knows. They don't know who I'm talking about, but they know there is a trainer out there."

Roark gave her a worried expression. Knowing so much and being able to discuss it with so few people was really getting frustrating.

While Roark was talking with Selene, Dawn and Lucas were making their way through the Oreburgh Gait, and with Bibarel's help, they were making great time. "Isn't it strange how large he is?" Dawn asked Lucas as Bibarel smashed another rock with his tail. "Well you have to remember. Pokemon are like people in some ways. No two are alike. Bibarel is really tall, and some humans are really tall you know.

"Staravia has an adamant nature. She has great strength, but once her mind is set on something, she will refuse to change her mind. Bibarel seems to have a careful nature. If you notice he always acts careful when he's smashing the rocks. He doesn't want you to get hurt, but that's just a guess."

Dawn gave him a smile as they continued walking through the cave.

They arrived in Jubilife City around noon and when they did they noticed Professor Rowan. He seemed to be having a conversation with two weird looking people. They seemed to be wearing space suites and their green hair was in a bowl cut. Dawn began to giggle at their appearance. "Professor Rowan!" Lucas greeted. "Ah, Lucas and Dawn. Impeccable timing!" He said returning the greeting.

"Now, now, now, now, now!" The first grunt started. "Professor Rowan why must you be so resistant? Just hand over you research papers and we won't have a problem!"

Professor Rowan turned to the two grunts and gave them 'the glare'. "Ah-hem! Quite you lot! Why must you be such a nuisance? Don't you know it is rude to interrupt others while they are talking? My goodness, you call yourselves adults yet you dress like a foolish child!"

At first the grunts seemed to be intimidated by this old man's attitude, but when he said that they looked like foolish children that set them over the edge. "That's enough of that! Go Glameow! Show them who the foolish children are!" The grunt shouted. The other grunt followed his lead and sent out a Stunky.

"C'mon Dawn, we can take them." Lucas whispered. "Go Turtwig!"

"Go Chimchar!"

The two Pokemon came out and gave a loud call of their names as they landed on the ground. "Chimchar, use Ember on Stunky!"

"Turtwig, use Seed Bomb on Glameow!"

The grunt's Stunky was easily knocked out, but the Glameow was proving to be a tough opponent. "Dawn, what other moves does Chimchar know?"

"Let me check," she said as she pulled out her Pokedex. It read Scratch, Ember, Leer, and a move that Dawn didn't notice before. Double Kick. She remembered Lucas talking to her about type advantages during their first trip through the Oreburgh gait. Fighting was strong against Normal, and Glameow was a Normal Type. "Lure Glameow closer to Chimchar and then I'll show you what I have planned.

"Alright, Turtwig Withdraw!"

Turtwig withdrew into his shell, and all of Glameow's instincts took over. Turtwig was in the shape of a ball. Oh how this Glameow loved to mess with yarn balls "Meow!" She hissed as she raced towards Turtwig. "Glameow what are you doing?" The grunt yelled.

"Falling into my trap! Chimchar, Double Kick!" Once Chimchar heard this command, he leaped up in the air, did a little twist then began to hit Glameow's flank rapidly.

"Tssssh! We will retreat this time! But mark my word, interfere with Team Galactic's plans ever again and you'll have to face someone far tougher than I!" The grunt yelled as he recalled his Glameow and began to run away with the other Grunt on his trail.

"Well done I say!" Professor Rowan congratulated. "Thanks Professor!" Both trainers replied. "Well I assume that you two will be heading to the Pokemon Center now? Those two deserve a rest after all of that, but I do have a question: You left Sandgem Town yesterday, and I suspect that you arrived here yesterday. What happened during that time span?"

"We arrived here around twelve thirty yesterday and left here a couple hours after that to go to Oreburgh City. It took the rest of the day but we made it, and Dawn even challenged the gym there and snatched victory with the help of all of her Pokemon. Namely Bibarel."

"Ah, so you have caught some Pokemon?"

"Yeah, Dawn had Chimchar, Stunky, and a Bibarel. I have Turtwig and Staravia."

"Well done you two! I knew I made the right decision when I let you two raise these Pokemon."

A few more words of praise were exchanged between everyone and afterwards Dawn and Lucas headed to the Pokemon center so their Pokemon could earn some well-deserved rest.

Next stop, Floaroma Town!


	4. Contest, Floaroma Town!

Wow, I'm sure you will think this wasn't worth the wait, and I'm sorry if you think that. Hopefully things will get better after this since this was more or less a filler chapter.

Chapter 4

Contest, Floaroma Town!

[Chapter rating, eh PG-13 for mild language]

**A lone figure stood silently in the middle of the crowded streets in Jubilife City. **It was almost midnight, but the streets were still as crowded as ever. The girl didn't move even as the people rushed past her. Nobody even seemed to notice her.

And, nobody seemed to notice what she was looking at. Two of those Team Galactic goons were standing beside a building, almost as if they were waiting for someone. The two grunts exchanged a nod then headed off in separate directions.

The girl quickly released a Pokemon from a standard pokeball then told him to follow the female grunt. The little Pokemon was very tiny; the body was almost a perfect circle and green; the wings were very bright along with his almost shaped eyes that seemed to glow with pride; and the crest on his head was red along with the tips of his wings and feet. "Natu!" He chirped before flying off to follow the grunt.

After her Natu became out of her view, she began to follow the male grunt.

She followed him till they got towards the empty part of town. The grunt knew that somebody was following him, but every time he looked back, nobody was there. He quickened his pace, but the girl kept following him.

Now the grunt was getting paranoid. "Come out Croagunk." He said before letting out a small blue frog Pokemon with white, red, and black markings all around its body. "Croa," the Pokemon called as it began to walk beside its trainer.

* * *

**Little Natu was still on the trail of the female grunt, but she didn't seem to notice Natu. **Earlier, the grunt had called out one of her Pokemon. He seemed to look like a dog with short black fur; his underbelly and muzzle were a reddish-orange; and white bands were rapped around his ankles and back; a skull lined the top of his head; he was known as Houndour.

Natu landed on a street lamp as the two turned a corner to sit in a tight ally way. The grunt then began to mess with some black box. Natu decided that he needed to get a little closer so he could see what it was. He spotted a few crumbs of who knows what and flew down to it and began pretending to eat it. The grunt looked up, saw Natu, then resumed messing with the black box. Houndour kept a close eye on this Natu since he wasn't so sure about him.

After pecking a few more times, Natu looked up and got a closer look at the black box. He noticed that there was a timer, and in very small print he could see the words 'set to detonate'. This caused his eyes to widen and alarm spread throughout his whole body, making his feathers to fluff out a bit.

His trainer, Selene, had trained him to learn certain words, and phrases, and this just happened to be close to one of them. He knew that the word 'detonate' meant explosion. "Natu!" He screeched. Houndour looked back at the grunt for his instructions and she just nodded at him, meaning 'just get rid of it'.

He began to chase after the little bird, but Natu was too quick. He quickly used Leer, which frightened Houndour a bit. Natu took this opportunity to use Teleport and get over towards the black box. This caught the grunt by surprise so she moved back a bit, giving Natu just enough room to rip all the multi-colored wires from the box. "Damn bird!" The grunt yelled.

Houndour just stood in the middle of the empty street with a dumbfounded expression. "Don't just stand there! Flamethrower!" She ordered. Houndour grumbled a bit before using Flamethrower in the direction of Natu, and his trainer. Her face got a little burnt, but Natu escaped unscathed by using Teleport. "Ah! Mars will have my head for this screw-up!"

* * *

**Selene had run into the same problem with the male grunt, but she decided to handle it in a different manner.** "Croagunk, Ice Punch!" The grunt ordered. Ice formed around the frog's hands and he jabbed Selene's Xatu head on. Suddenly all of Xatu's body became covered in ice and he couldn't even blink. "Take that!" The grunt cheered, but his victory was short lived because a smirk grew on Selene's face. "I'm amazed that you don't know Xatu's ability. It's Synchronize." She spoke in a light tone as Xatu's eyes began to glow a vivid blue in the ice.

Croagunk's body started to be covered in ice just like Xatu's body. "Teleport Xatu!"

"What?" The grunt shouted in dismay as Xatu transported out of the ice and stood next to it like nothing had happened at all. "Xatu," he called. "I'm getting out of here! Commander Mars can yell at me all she likes!" The grunt yelled after recalling his Croagunk and then running off. "Great job Xatu," Selene soothed as she walked over to her friend. That's when Natu decided to fly down and show Selene what he had found. He landed on her shoulder and placed the wires in the palm of her hand. She looked at them for a few seconds, then she looked up at the Pokemon Center that was just in the distance.

"Sleep well Dawn, for tomorrow I see your first test."

Around eight thirty in the morning Lucas found himself wide-awake. He sat up from his bed that was on the opposite side of the room from Dawn's bed, and noticed that she was still asleep. Chimchar was sleeping in her pillow, Stunky was sleeping across her legs, and Bibarel was curled up at the end of her bed.

Bibarel had insisted on staying outside of the pokeball, and at the time, all the Pokemon were being fed, and Chimchar decided that he too wanted to sleep outside the pokeball. Naturally Stunky followed, and even Lucas' Pokemon stayed outside of their Pokeballs.

Turtwig was still curled up inside his shell at the bottom of Lucas' bed and Staravia was perched on the headboard of his bed. Quietly he got out from his blanket and began to get his things ready for the day. "Sleep as long as you like. You deserve it." Lucas whispered, glancing at Dawn.

Quietly he tried to take a shower, but as fate would have it, the shower just had to be extremely loud when you turned it on. Luckily it didn't wake up Dawn.

By eight forty-five he was done with his shower, and Dawn still wasn't awake, but most of the Pokemon had awaken. Chimchar and Staravia were the only Pokemon sleeping, so the others tried to remain quiet.

"Bibarel bee!" Bibarel called in a quiet, but worried tone to Lucas. "What's wrong Bibarel?" Lucas asked. Bibarel glanced at Dawn then back at Lucas. This caused Lucas to glance at Dawn, and he noticed that she seemed to be fidgeting a bit. "She's just dreaming Bibarel. Don't worry abou-" but Lucas was stopped mid-sentence because Dawn suddenly sat up and screamed. "Lucas!" She shrieked. Chimchar sat up and started to freak a bit, and so did Staravia.

Lucas quickly hurried over to sit on the edge of her bed, and when he sat down he noticed how badly she was shaking. "Are you alright?" He asked. "Y-yeah, it was just a bad dream that's all." She said in a shaky tone.

"That sounded like a pretty bad dream. Even Bibarel was worried." Lucas stated. "Waaa!" Bibarel yawned. "Now that I think about it, the dream didn't even make any sense, so no need to worry." Dawn assured in an unconvincing tone. "Well, okay then."

"Just promise me one thing." Dawn spoke as Lucas stood up. "What's that?" He asked. "Promise me that we don't go anywhere near the west side of town."

Lucas gave her a smile. "No problem."

As Lucas had promised, when they went to leave Jubilife they didn't go anywhere near the west side of town, but Lucas still wondered why she refused to go anywhere near there.

They were traveling along the vicinity of Route 204 when Lucas decided to bring up the subject of contests. "So I hear there is a contest in Floaroma Town, and I was thinking about entering in it." He stated.

"Really?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, I figured I might as well give it a shot. But first I need to figure out what Pokemon I would enter with. I don't think Turtwig would be good for the appeal round, and Staravia only has one move that has any beauty appeal."

"What's that move?"

"Featherdance, plus she hasn't really mastered that move so it would be risky."

"I think you should do something different, like, you know, something not many people do! Most people try to show off the beauty in Pokemon in just moves and fancy outfits, when in truth you can do the same all while showing off the strength of a Pokemon!"

"How exactly would I do that?"

"Ummm...." Dawn mumbled as she looked around for a Pokemon she could use as an example. A few Beautifly and Mothim were flying around the area, but just off in a flowery field stood a Machop. The little muscle Pokemon was busy lifting and crushing some rocks, so he was too busy to notice anybody.

"Machop over there for example, I'm sure he could learn some neat moves that would not only show beauty, but also show off strength."

While Lucas thought it over, Machop finally noticed the two humans talking about him. The female interested him greatly. "Chaaaho!" He called.

Dawn and Lucas looked in the direction of Machop just as he began to make his way over to them. "Cha!" He called again as he lifted a small boulder in an attempt to show off. "Oh, impressive." Dawn said. This pleased Machop, but he knew it would take more to thoroughly impress her. "Machop!" He yelled in a strained tone as he lifted another boulder and held a boulder in each hand. "Told you he'd be a great Pokemon!" Dawn restated.

"Never doubted you. Now, go Staravia!" Lucas called as he released his Pokemon. "Stara!" She trilled. "Go, Aerial Ace!"

Staravia began to fly at Machop, and when she got close enough, she made a quick loop in the air, slashing Machop with her beak in the process. "Chop!" Machop groaned as he dropped both boulders.

He regained his steady stance then closed his eyes. Two copies of his form came from each of his sides and now there were three Machop. All three bodies began to glow pink and then they began to run at Staravia. "Staravia, use Defog!"

Staravia began to rapidly flap her wings, creating a powerful gust, which also forced Machop to stop attacking and made the other 'Machop' disappear. "Cho," he grumbled as he crossed his arms in front of his face. "Now try Featherdance!" Lucas ordered hoping that Staravia would be able to pull it off.

The feathers all along Staravia's wings began to glow and then she waved her wings at Machop, which sent her glowing feathers at Machop. "Macho!" Machop howled as the feathers hit him. Suddenly, there was a flicker in his eyes and he began to do a little spin around. Once he did this a few times, he gave a sly wink at Staravia, and Staravia seemed to be in love with him. "Staaa," she tweeted.

"What just happened?" Dawn asked. "Machop must know Attract, but don't worry. I have the perfect way to make a comeback." Lucas assured. "Now remember Staravia! Machop are strong Pokemon, they like strong Pokemon only! Not weak ones! Show him your strength with a Wing Attack!"

Staravia whistled at Machop before ramming into him with as much strength as she could muster. Machop tried to stand again, but by now his health was really low. "Machaaa," he grumbled as he staggered to stand. He knew he had to win this battle. What would all the other Machop think of him if they knew he lost to a bird? They would mock him for sure! And what would the female think? She would probably think he was weak! Not in his lifetime!

His body became cloaked in a bright light, signaling that he was evolving. He became much, much taller and muscular; his arms were lined with red lines; his face looked more reptilian than before; and he wore black wrestling tights that had a belt with a 'P' on the front. "Machoke!" He called. "So, you know how to deal with that?" Dawn asked. "Not really!" Lucas replied. "Machoke!" The Pokemon roared as he began to run at Staravia with his fists emitting small pulses of electricity. "Staravia look out!" But it was too late. Machoke struck Staravia right below the beak in a sucker-punch manner and Staravia fell onto her back.

And for a finish, Machoke decided that for a finish he would use the one move he didn't like using. Metronome. The only reason he didn't like this move was he always seemed to have horrible luck. And this time was just the same. After he had waved his fingers around a black aura surrounded both Pokemon, and Machoke began to feel pain while Staravia was looking healthier.

He had used Pain Split.

"Looks like now is my chance," Lucas mumbled to himself as he brought out an odd looking pokeball. It was black and it had very elaborate looking gold patterns. Dawn watched as Lucas tossed the ball at Machoke.

After about three good shakes, the pokeball made a click noise. "Great job!" Dawn cheered. "But what kind of Pokeball was that?"

"It's called a Luxury Ball. It will make Machoke warm up to me easier."

"Interesting,"

"Yeah, and it looks like I have the perfect contest Pokemon."

"Well let's get going! I want to know if-"

"Pardon me." Somebody interrupted. Both Dawn and Lucas look to their left and noticed some girl standing there. "I was watching you capture that Machoke and seeing the way to battled made me want to challenge you. I am training currently with my Natu and Xatu and I would like a double battle." She explained in a very soft tone.

"Sounds good to me. But I don't think I'll be using Staravia." Lucas stated as he glanced over at Staravia, who was still a little weak looking. "It'd be good training for Chimchar and Turtwig." Dawn stated as she grabbed Chimchar's pokeball.

"Alright, go Turtwig!"

"Chimchar lets go!"

Both starter's came out of their Pokeballs and looked ready as ever to battle. "Xatu, Natu, stand by if you may." The girl whispered as she tossed the two Pokeballs. The two birds came out and gave their calls. "By the way, my name is Selene." She introduced in a more audible tone.

"I'm Dawn and this is Lucas." Dawn introduced. "You can have the first move." Lucas spoke.

"Thank you. Xatu, Lucy Chant! Natu, Leer on Turtwig!"

Xatu began to whistle then he gave a loud call to the sky and Natu's eyes glowed a bright red at Turtwig and this caused Turtwig to shudder a bit. "Turtwig use Seed Bomb on Natu!"

"Chimchar, use Double Kick to give Turtwig's Seed Bomb more force!"

Turtwig opened his mouth to release his seed bombs then Chimchar raced up behind Turtwig just as he released them and gave them a good kick. "Naaah!" Natu screeched before the seeds rammed straight into him. "Xatu, Future Sight! Natu, Rest!"

Xatu glanced up at the sky and Natu plopped on the ground and began to snooze. Lucas began to worry since Future Sight was a very tricky move and Natu was quickly regaining health. "Now Xatu, Shadow Ball!" Xatu held out his wings and a ball of dark energy began to form and soon he launched it at Chimchar.

Chimchar's eyes widened and he crossed his arms over his face. Every bit of fur on his body prickled as the sense of danger flowed through him. His tiny little heart was beating so fast he felt like he was going to faint and just as he cracked his eyes open just a tiny bit, he noticed something: Turtwig had rushed in front of him and was now using his head like a shield for Chimchar. "Tweeeg!" Turtwig grunted as he deflected the ball of dark energy. "Chim-Chimchar!" Chimchar thanked. "Tur-twee!" Turtwig replied.

"Natu!" Natu chirped as he awoke. "Turtwig, use Leech Seed on Both Natu and Xatu!" Lucas ordered. Turtwig launched two tiny seeds at both of this bird Pokemon, but Lucas knew that this wouldn't hurt the Pokemon all that much considering they both were bird type.

The two seeds missed, and this caused both Chimchar and Turtwig to become mad. Chimchar glanced around with an angry expression, and he then seemed to get an idea. "Cha!" He called over to Turtwig. Turtwig tilted his head in confusion before realizing what Chimchar wanted him to do. Turtwig shot another seed, but this time he shot it at Chimchar.

Dawn and Lucas were beginning to worry if this was Chimchar's way of giving up, but Chimchar had gotten an idea. He caught the seed in his hand and then began to race at Xatu. The seed was just beginning to sprout roots when he slapped it on Xatu's forehead. "Chimchar!" He squeaked as he began to prance around a bit.

While he was dancing around, a white light cloaked him and he began to change. His whole body became a little bulkier, a blue and red mask appeared over his face; the swirl on his chest became smaller; he grew a tail with fire on the tip, and white fur now lined his neck. "Monferno?" He called in a confused tone. "Chimchar, you evolved!" Dawn yelled in surprise.

"Mon-Monferno!" Monferno called in a scared tone. He began to run back towards Dawn and once he reached her he wrapped himself around her legs and began to wail. "Chim- I mean Monferno it's alright." She said in an unsure tone.

"It seems Monferno didn't want to evolve." Selene stated after observing the way Monferno had reacted. "Tur!" Turtwig called as he ran back towards Monferno, but when he got near Monferno, he froze. His body began to shudder and he gave a call of pain. "Turtwig, what's wrong?" Lucas asked. "That was the effect from Future Sight. Technically the battle hasn't ended, so Future Sight was still in effect." Selene explained.

Turtwig shook it off and hurried over to Monferno. "Twee, Turtwig!" He comforted. "Ferno," Monferno mumbled as Dawn got down to his level. "It's alright Monferno."

"Yeah, think about it. You're now stronger than ever!" Lucas encouraged. Monferno just shook his head and buried his face into Dawn's shirt.

Selene began to recall her Pokemon and then she began to make her way over to Dawn and Lucas. Monferno looked up at her and began to feel rage. If she hadn't challenged them, he wouldn't have had to battle, and he wouldn't have had to evolve! "Monferno!" He screeched as he stood up. Tears were still falling from his eyes and he decided that she should be punished for what she had done.

His fists began to glow and then he began to run at Selene. "Monferno stop!" Dawn yelled. "Ferno!" Monferno howled as he raced at Selene.

Selene's eyes widened and she stopped and fear ran throughout her whole body. She could feel the hatred pulsing from Monferno as he drew even closer towards her. "Gardevoir!" A Pokemon shouted as it appeared by Selene and then used teleport to get her away. Monferno still tried to punch at the spot where Selene had been standing, but then something stopped him from moving.

Monferno began to sway back and forth and then he fell on the ground, fast asleep.

Selene appeared a few feet away from everyone with a Gardevoir at her side. Gardevoir had used Hypnosis on Monferno just as she had reappeared. "I'm so sorry!" Dawn said in a very upset tone. She walked over to her sleeping Monferno and picked him up. He was a lot heavier than before, but that didn't stop Dawn. "I'm sorry Monferno." She mumbled.

Lucas decided to leave Dawn to comfort Monferno so he could apologize to Selene. "Uh, Selene we're-" but she had disappeared. When Lucas turned back around to face Dawn he noticed that she had recalled Monferno and was now beginning to walk away. He decided to dismiss the fact that Selene was gone since Dawn was more important. "C'mon Turtwig." Lucas instructed before hurrying after Dawn.

"You alright?" He asked.

She nodded and attempted to say 'yeah' but she decided to remain silent.

By the time they had reached Floaroma Town Dawn had began to have a better attitude, but she was still worried about Monferno. They arrived at the contest hall, which wasn't very big, and hurried to get Lucas registered for the contest.

"Alright, the contest begins in twenty minutes. We'll see you then!" The operator said as she handed Lucas his contest pass.

"Thank you," he said politely. He turned around and saw Dawn sitting on one of the chairs with a few of their Pokemon. Machoke was standing in front of Dawn giving her a sympathetic look, and her Stunky was sitting on her lap purring loudly. "Choke," Machoke grunted.

On the way to Floaroma Lucas had thought up of an appeal and who to use in the battle round. Machoke would be used in the appeal round and he would also use him in the battle round.

"I'll be right back Dawn. I need to get changed real quick." Lucas said before leaving.

When he returned he was wearing a black tux and he wasn't wearing his hat. "What do you think?" He asked Dawn. She looked up from Stunky and smiled at him. "You look great." She answered, but to her, great was an understatement. She was tempted to say handsome, but she was already blushing enough as it was. Something about him in a tux was very appealing.

"And next up is Lucas from Sandgem Town!" The Contest Announcer Marian announced. Cheer's came from the crowd as Lucas entered the field.

Naturally he felt a little nervous, but he tried to shake it off as he released Machoke. "Go Machoke!" He called. But, instead of the standard white flash given off when a Pokemon is released, he was also surrounded by what looked to be confetti. "Machoke!" He called.

"Alright Machoke, use Double Team!"

Two other copies of Machoke appeared at his side and all three gave their calls. "Now, form a triangle between you three! Then use Secret Power!"

The three Machoke got in a triangle pattern and then all of their bodies began to glow a light pink.

"Now, use Metronome!" Lucas knew this was risky considering he didn't know what move would be selected, but as the Machoke began to wave their hands he was hoping it would be something he could use.

The Machoke then placed their hands at their side and a ball of energy began to build. Lucas recognized this to be Aura Sphere. "Fire the Aura Sphere to where they hit one another!"

The three balls of energy were released and when they made contact they made little sparks bounce all around and it even bounced off of the muscles along Machoke. "Machoke!" He called. "Alright!" Lucas cheered.

"Way to go Lucas!" Dawn cheered along with the rest of the crowd. Dawn had decided a little bit before the contest started to change into the dress she had bought in Jubilife City so she could seem a little more formal at the contest.

"Awesome, but lets go to our judges to see what they think! Mister Contesta! What do you think of this?" Marian asked. "Very risky, yet interesting to watch."

"What can I say? Remarkable!" Mister Sukizo commented.

"I couldn't agree more!" Nurse Joy commented.

Lucas smiled as he recalled Machoke and left the stadium and headed back into the coordinator's room to watch the remaining competitors. A girl with a Drifloon was after Lucas; her appeal was alright. A guy with a Raticate appealed after her, and surprisingly his appeal was really good.

A guy with a Weavile made the final appeal, and everyone was amazed with his appeal. The grace of his Weavile amazed everyone, well, everyone except Mister Contesta. Nobody seemed to know why he refused to give a reply when asked what he felt about the appeal.

"Lucas that was great!" Dawn congratulated as she met him in the Coordinator room. "Thanks," he replied as he kept his focus on the screen. "Something wrong?" Dawn asked.

"Their about to announce who gets to move on to the next round. Something tells me I didn't make it."

"Well, I think you did amazing so there's no doubt that you will make it!"

Lucas smiled at her and was about to say thanks when Marian came back on the screen and began to announce who was moving on. "These lucky eight trainers will be moving on to the next round!" She announced as the screen changed and began to show a few trainers.

The trainer with the Raticate got through and so did the guy with the Weavile. A girl with a Gible made it through and a few other trainers. And the last person on the list: Lucas!

"You made it!" Dawn cheered as she hugged him. Lucas was so thrilled that he had moved on to the next round that he hugged Dawn back and even span around a bit. This caused Dawn to giggle because she had never seen this kind of reaction from him.

"Alright! Now, on the scoreboard you will see who will be facing who during the battle round!" Marian announced on the TV screen.

Lucas' picture appeared next to the guy with a Luxio, the Weavile guy was going up against a Leafeon with his Mothim, and the Raticate guy was using his Mime Jr. to face against a Happiny. "That was just a fluke on your part. You most defiantly didn't deserve to make it this far." Somebody shouted in a very snobby tone.

Dawn and Lucas looked over to their left and noticed the Weavile guy. He was also wearing a black tux, but his tux was extremely expensive looking and his blonde hair was gelled back in a very snobby manner. Dawn glared at him. "You think you know everything huh?" She asked.

"Certainly. I was in second place after all, unlike your friend here. It seems he doesn't even know how to show off the beauty of Pokemon."

This guy's attitude was really making Dawn angry and just as she was about to march right over to him and tell him what-for, Lucas reinforced his grip around her waist. "Leave him Dawn. He's not worth it."

"But Lucas," Dawn mumbled as she again tried to pull away from his grasp. "Mmm, yes, well you may think that I'm not worth it, but doll I assure you that I am more than worth it."

"That's it let me take a shot at him! You think you know everything but you don't!" Dawn said furiously. Her tone had attracted the attention to a few remaining trainers "Oh, you think you know more about contests than I do?" The guy challenged.

"My mother was the regional Contest Champion for two years in a row and a Class-A coordinator! I'm positive I know what I'm talking about." She continued as she got away from Lucas' grip.

"Oh really? And just who was your mother?"

"Johanna Berlitz! I'm her daughter Dawn Berlitz! I think you should show a little more respect for me and my friend!"

The guy's eyes widened as he began to see some of the resemblance between her and Johanna. "Pardon me." He mumbled before walking away.

Dawn was still furious and she began to grumble to herself, and Lucas just stared at her with a confused expression. "Anyway," Dawn said in a nicer tone as she turned around to face Lucas. "Best of luck! I'll be watching in the stands!"

Lucas watched as she left. He had to admit that she did seem to have multiple personalities, but that was just one of the things that he loved about her. "Whew mate! You sure know how to picker your battles! Your little friend there sure is a hot head eh?" Some guy asked. Lucas turned around and noticed a guy with a Yanmega.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked. "That guy was Mason. He's famous round these parts. Him and his Mothim are a formidable duo. If I make it past the first round I'll be sure to battle him since that Leafeon doesn't stand a chance against that Mothim of his. I'm hoping to use Yanmega's Speed Boost to win against him. By the way, my name is Clyde." The guy explained.

"Well, I guess I hope you win."

"Yeah, I'll be lookin' forward to facing you in the finals! That Machoke of yours sure was impressive. Yeah, I'll agree with the judges that using Metronome was risky, but it turned out to be a wonderful performance."

Round one went smoothly on Lucas' part. The trainer with the Luxio was a pushover, and his next opponent would be the Raticate guy with his Mime Jr.

Clyde won his match against the Chingling with a bit of a struggle, and of course Mason won his battle.

Round two was a little harder for Lucas since Mime Jr. knew some psychic moves, but Machoke pulled through in the end. Clyde lost against Mason with a very tough loss. Now it was onto the final round: Lucas against Mason.

"Well, maybe it wasn't a fluke after all." Mason mumbled to himself as he walked on to the battlefield. "Go Mothim!" He called. In a flash Mothim came out of the pokeball and he was surrounded by white bubbles.

"Go Machoke!" Lucas called as he released Machoke. "Maa!" Machoke called as the confetti surrounded him. "And, begin!" Marian announced.

"Mothim, use Air Slash!" Mason ordered. Mothim began to build a ball of wind, and once it was at a certain size he shot it at Machoke. Though, Lucas had already thought of a way to repel this attack since Mason always seemed to start out with this move. "Machoke, use Secret Power to deflect that!"

Machoke's body began to glow a faint pink and when the ball of wind hit him, it seemed to just burst away into nothing. Mason lost a few points, but not enough to make him worry. "Now Machoke, use Double Team!"

"Quick, use Mud-Slap!"

Just before Machoke could use Double Team the little orange and black moth Pokemon flew down low and used his wings to slap some of the dirt in Machoke's eyes. "Machoke!" He called. Machoke began to try and wipe the dirt away from his eyes, but this was giving Mason the perfect opportunity to strike back. "Now, use Psybeam!"

Multiple colors began to form in Mothim's eyes and then he fired a powerful beam at Machoke. It missed since Machoke had fallen over by somehow managing to trip over his own feet. He had cleared enough of the dirt from his eyes to where he could now see.

"Now Machoke, use Flamethrower!"

Fire billowed out of Machoke's mouth and this caught both Mason and his Mothim by surprise. Mothim was singed, but he refused to give up.

The clock said that there was about three minutes in the battle left and Mason was down to about half of his points while Lucas had only lost about a fourth of his points.

"Now, use Metronome!"

After a quick wave of his fingers then his hands began to glow. Machoke then ran at the weak Mothim and slashed at him in an 'X' pattern. This caused Mothim to fly backwards and give out a loud call of pain. He fell to the ground, and again tried to stand but to no avail. A loud buzzer rang and on the front over every judge's stand was a large red X stating that Mothim was no longer able to battle.

Mason looked completely shocked since he had assumed that he had the upper hand the whole time.

"Alright Machoke!" Lucas cheered, but he noticed that Machoke wasn't cheering, neither was he looking happy. He wore a worried expression as he scanned the crowd for a certain someone. He spotted Dawn around the third row and once he saw the she was cheering he quickly began smiling. "Machoke! Ma-Machoke!" He called loudly.

* * *

**"And I have the distinct honor to award you this ribbon in honor of your victory." Mister Contesta said as he handed Lucas his mint green ribbon.**

"Way to go Lucas!" Dawn shouted from the stands as Lucas left the arena with Machoke. The stands began to clear, and Dawn hurried to go meet Lucas. "Great Job!" She congratulated once she met up with Lucas. "Machoke,"

"You too Machoke."

Machoke gave her a smile a light grunt of glee. "Well, it looks like we'll be heading to Eterna City next for a gym battle." Lucas stated. "Yeah it-"

"I figured I would find you here! Dawn and Lucas, I need your help!" Somebody interrupted. Dawn and Lucas looked up and noticed Barry. He wore an expression of complete panic. "I saw Lucas win the contest as I was passing back through here and that's when I met this little kid complaining of something going on by the Valley Windworks. She said something about Team Galactic!

"I need help because I know I can't do this alone!" Barry explained in a very fast tone. Dawn let out a fake gasp. "Barry needs help? Barry has decided to actually ask for help?"

"This is no time for jokes Dawn! I need your help!"

"This looks serious. Alright, we'll help. Just let me change back into my normal clothes."

* * *

So yeah, that was Chapter 4. Tell me what you think because suggestions are always welcome.  
Just remember, since I have Band Camp and I am required to go to all Competitions and Football games AND rehearsal after school I have very few days I can actually work so it will probably be every two weeks I post a chapter. Hopefully that will be at the longest, but I just wanted to give you an estimate.


	5. Just a Kiss

Okay, so after over a month of waiting here it is! I finally got my Thumb Drive back and I have worked nonstop ever since! There are a ton of Pokemon captures in this chapter and not as much Twinleafshipping as I had planned, but oh well. Again, a filler chapter but I kinda like it.

Chapter 5

Just a kiss

[Chapter rating- PG13 for language and very mild suggestive scenes]

**Just to the west of Floaroma Town is a large field of windmills and a large factory that takes and stores all the power generated by the windmills.** The energy from there is then used to power Floaroma Town. Normally little balloon Pokemon known as Drifloon are attracted to this place, but something is keeping them from coming near here today.

A strange group of people had taken over the Valley Windworks and was now using a large and weird looking Pokemon to store the power.

A tiny yellow camel-like Pokemon with what looked to be a volcano surrounded by green on his back was weakly walking away from the windy area. His naturally sleepy eyes looked even more tired than usual. His stubby little legs were screaming in agony as he continued to trek through the windy place. "Numel!" He called, hoping that it would attract the attention of his lost trainer.

Earlier in the day a strange man wearing a space suit had taken him from his trainer while they were out walking. The man broke his pokeball, which freed him from his trainer and was then forced to train with the weird guy.

He began to breath harder and then he finally collapsed. Hunger, pain, and weariness had finally caught up to him...

* * *

"**Hurry up Dawn!" **Barry shouted as he began to tap his foot in annoyance. "Don't make me come out there and personally beat you!" Dawn threatened from inside the changing room. "I doubt that you will!" He replied. "You wanna bet?" Dawn asked.

"I know you won't! One: You are probably not dressed and I'm sure you don't exactly want me to see you like that!"

"You seriously wanna bet that I won't come out there and attempt to kill you?"

Barry rolled his eyes since he thought she was just blowing hot air, but how wrong he was. He heard a door slam and then Dawn appeared from the curtain that blocked the entrance from the female changing rooms.

She was just wearing her white undershirt and it barely covered her black underwear and she wore a furious expression. Barry had no clue what to think since all of this had happened so fast and here was Dawn, standing practically naked in front of him. "You are really starting to piss me off! Your whole attitude is pissing me off! You need to learn to have a little patience and you need to learn to be nicer to Lucas! I'm getting off subject but I don't really care! You haven't said one nice word to Lucas and it's really bugging me. I would like to know why you hate him so much! He has never done anything to you."

"If only you knew." Barry mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dawn replied as Barry again rolled his eyes.

Dawn could feel frustration building till she couldn't take it any more. She then slapped Barry with such force that you could practically see the outline of her hand, and Lucas had seen this. Though, from his angle, it looked more like Dawn was slapping him because how he was looking at her. "Now leave me alone while I get dressed!" Dawn shouted before hurrying behind the curtain to resume changing.

"I don't know if I feel sorry for him or if I should laugh." Lucas mumbled to himself as he walked away.

* * *

**"So where exactly are we going?" Lucas asked Barry as they left the contest hall. **"The Valley Windworks. I'll lead the way, unless mister perfect over here knows where he's going." Barry said scornfully.

"I have an idea of where we're going, but if it makes you feel better you lead." Lucas said in a mocking tone.

Dawn sighed since she knew they would probably be at each other's throats the whole way.

* * *

**"Golbat use Haze!"**

"Prinplup, retaliate with Rain Dance! Ponyta, get Dawn out of here!"

Barry's Prinplup shot a ball of water into the sky and it soon began to rain. Ponyta then ran beside Dawn and somehow managed to get her onto her back. "Oh no you don't!" One of the many Galactic Grunts shouted. "Glameow stop them!" He ordered as it began to downpour.

A group of Glameow began to race at Ponyta, and since Barry was to wrapped up with the Golbat that just seemed to keep coming, Lucas decided that he had to do something about it. "Staravia, make sure that those Glameow and any other Pokemon don't get near her!" He ordered.

Staravia dashed over to try and get rid of the pesky Glameow, but five against one just wasn't in her favor. Two of the Glameow stayed behind to deal with Staravia and after a few doses of Fury Swipes she was down.

Ponyta kept running, even though the rain droplets stung as they made contact with her body. The ground was becoming muddy, making it harder to keep traction with the earth. "Mreeow!" The lead Glameow hissed as she jumped at Ponyta. She left a good scratch on Ponyta's back leg.

One of the Glameow that had been dealing with Staravia had caught back up to her group and was racing towards the front. A ball of water was building in front of her nose then she fired the Water Pulse at Ponyta.

It hit her straight in the back and even splashed Dawn. "Paataah!" Ponyta called. She turned her head around and flames started to flow from her mouth. The Flamethrower however was weakened due to the rain. Luckily it at least sent one Glameow running.

The remaining four Glameow began to glow a strange blue then they fired a surge of electricity at Dawn and Ponyta. In order to keep Dawn from getting badly hurt by the electricity, Ponyta bucked Dawn off her back and into the mud while she took the attack.

Dawn sat up and when she wiped some of the mud from her face, she noticed that even though Ponyta was getting attacked, she seemed to be glowing.

"Rapida!" The newly evolved Rapidash called. She then reared up on her two back legs and spat a large thing of fire that took the shape of a '大' sign.

All the Glameow were consumed with the fire, and even though it was still raining, this attack was extremely powerful.

Every Glameow sustained a burn, but just before they began to run away, they all shot another Water Pulse at Rapidash.

Rapidash was growing weaker by the second, but she still had to keep Dawn safe. After all, it was what Barry wanted.

She hurried back over to Dawn and motioned for her to stand up. Dawn stood up and used Rapidash as a balance and they began to walk away, just as the rain began to dwindle down to a faint drizzle.

Dawn sighed as she tried to wipe away some of the mud from her skirt. "Numel! Num, Numel!" Came the weak call of a Pokemon. "Huh?" Dawn mumbled as she scanned the area for the source of the call.

Just under a bush a few feet away was a tiny little yellow Pokemon and it seemed like he was trying to cover his face with his little limbs.

Rapidash could see that Dawn was worried about the little Pokemon so she led Dawn over to the bush where the Pokemon was and Dawn leaned down to the little guy. "Hey..." she mumbled before she grabbed her Pokedex.

"_Numel, the Numb Pokemon. Numel stores magma of almost 2,200 degrees F within its body. If it gets wet, the magma cools and hardens. In that event, the Pokémon's body grows heavy and its movements become sluggish."_

"Hey little Numel. Are you alright?" Dawn asked. Numel looked up at Dawn with pitifully sad eyes. "Numel!" He shouted as he attempted to leap at Dawn for comfort. Even though he didn't know this human, he already trusted her since she didn't seem to have a threatening aura about her.

"I take it you have a trainer?" Dawn asked in a loving tone. Numel nodded as she began to pat his head.

"Machoke!"

Dawn looked up from Numel and noticed a Machoke. "Maaahck!" The Machoke called in a worried tone after spotting Dawn. He then turned around, let out a loud call then began to hurry over to Dawn. "Choke, choke, Machoke-ah!" He spoke to Rapidash. Rapidash bowed her head in an ashamed manner because Machoke had realized that she had bucked Dawn off her back.

"Dawn!"

* * *

**"Finally..." Barry panted as the last of the Galactic Grunts went running.** Prinplup and Turtwig were busy celebrating their victory when everybody heard a loud call that sounded like Machoke. "Machoke must have found Dawn." Lucas stated. "Alright then, you go find her and I'll get a head start on the Windworks!" Barry stated. Lucas nodded and then headed off with Turtwig on his trail. "Turtwig, twee, twee!" Turtwig had told Prinplup to make sure Barry didn't do anything reckless while they were away, and Prinplup gave a "Prin," as saying 'no problem!'

Shortly after they came over a small hill and Lucas spotted Dawn, Machoke, Rapidash, and some other Pokemon were huddling together by a bush. "Dawn!" Lucas shouted.

Dawn snapped her head up and noticed Lucas. A rush of joy flowed through her, and she couldn't begin to explain it if she wanted to.

Lucas felt a similar rush knowing that Dawn was safe, but he wouldn't express it like Dawn did. "Dawn I'm so-" he began as he approached her, but what he didn't expect was for Dawn to leap up at him and hug him. "I don't think I'll ever get on any kind of horse Pokemon after that." She mumbled into his shirt.

Lucas wrapped his arms around her, and began to worry if she could he his heart race since he could feel his heart racing.

"Nuuuuuuh!" Numel mumbled in a happy tone since he –even though he was a male Pokemon– was a sucker for any kind of love story, and he could defiantly sense a connection between these two humans. "A-are you al-alright?" Lucas asked with a bit of a shake in his tone.

Machoke gave a grunt of jealousy as Dawn finally answered Lucas. "Yeah."

"Well, I guess we should hurry to help Barry. You know how rash he can be." Lucas joked as he and Dawn parted.

"Numel!" Numel called to Dawn and Lucas as they and the Pokemon began to walk away. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot about you! Lucas, I think this Numel is lost or something. He's not very human shy so I don't think he's wild, but he doesn't have a trainer around..." Dawn stated.

"Well, if he belongs to somebody then we shouldn't be able to catch him," Lucas pondered as he grabbed one of his spare Pokeballs from his backpack.

One look at the pokeball made Numel eager. Sure, this guy wasn't his trainer, but maybe he could be a better trainer, or help him find his trainer. A yawn escaped from his mouth as he toddled over to Lucas and rubbed his head on his leg. "Odd?" Lucas mumbled. "Just catch him for now and we'll worry about it later!"

Lucas, Dawn and Barry's Pokemon finally caught up with Barry just outside of the Valley Windworks, and the sight of his Rapidash pleased Barry. "Awesome Rapidash!" Barry commented.

A smile made it's way across the fire horse Pokemon's muzzle as Barry recalled her into her pokeball. "Okay, but so apparently there is this person here called 'Commander Mars' and she is the source behind all of this. If we can force her to leave I'm sure all the other grunts will leave." Barry announced.

"Okay, but how are we going to get to her? Obviously those grunts have alerted their commander." Dawn stated.

"I already thought of that! This is where my newest Pokemon comes in. I traded this guy one of my spare Pokemon for his Hitmontop. I don't think I could have made a better trade since Hitmontop has helped me out plenty of times!

"Come on out Judo!" Barry called as he released his Hitmontop known as Judo. "Hitemon!" He called as he stood on his feet and saluted Barry. "Use Mind Reader to see in the building and see if you can find anyone talking about a Commander Mars!" He ordered.

Hitmontop nodded then placed his round hands on his forehead and began to search the building until he found what he was looking for. "Hitmon!" He shouted as he pointed to the top right corner of the building.

"Alright let-"

"Hitmontop! Heemetop!" Hitmontop interrupted. He began to point his fist along the wall indicating that Commander Mars was leaving the building.

"Well don't just stand there! Hide!" Barry ordered.

After a few seconds a tall lady with bright red hair and a space outfit came walking out of the Windworks along with a really large cat Pokemon that had similar colors to a Glameow. "Purugly," it hissed as it looked around. "Calm down Purugly." Mars ordered.

Mars stood there for a second before smirking. "Oh puh-lease. I know you're there. Give it up. Sure you defeated all of my grunts, but I know you're no match for me."

Barry silently cursed at Mars before rushing out of behind the tree. "Yeah right Mars! I know I can beat you!" He challenged. "Oh spunk, I like that. How about I make you a deal? Beat me and I'll leave, but if you loose-"

"There's no way I'll lose to you!" Barry interrupted, which annoyed Mars.

"Good luck trying. Purugly, use Aerial Ace on that Hitmontop." Purugly began to run at Judo and he claws were glowing with a white aura.

"Judo use Detect!"

Judo's eyes began to glow a faint blue and then he seemed to dodge Purugly's attack like it was nothing. "Now follow up with Triple Kick!"

Judo then jumped to where he was spinning on the point on his head and began to rapidly hit Purugly.

While this was going on Dawn and Lucas had snuck into the Windworks and were trying to figure out what was wrong.

After a quick snooping around they discovered that two Electivire were being used to generate electricity. "Machoke, set them free from their cages with Karate Chop!"

Machoke came out of his pokeball and with a quick swipe of his fists; the iron bars that were holding back the Thunderbolt Pokemon were obliterated. "Letcte!" They cheered as they ran out from the remains of the cages. "Vire!" The female Electivire cheered.

"Just wonderful! They got the Electivire loose!" One of the grunts called. Two grunts entered the room along with two Bronzor. "Use Charge Beam to fry those idiots!" The grunts ordered.

The two Bronzor began to have pulses of electricity flow through them, then the fired the electricity at Dawn and Lucas. Just when they thought they were going to get hit, the two Electivire blocked the attack and absorbed the electricity.

A blue aura surrounded both Electivire and they now seemed more ready for battle. "I think that was their ability Motor Drive. When they get hit with electricity it boosts their speed." Lucas spoke.

"Electivire!" Both Pokemon shouted as they suddenly released a surge of blue electricity towards the Bronzor. "Bron...." the Bronzor groaned as they fainted. "Let's get outta here!" Both the grunts shouted.

Dawn and Lucas were both surprised by the strength of these Electivire but nevertheless they were grateful for their help.

Unfortunately, Commander Mars disappeared during her battle with Barry, so everyone decided to head back to Floaroma Town once everything was settled with the scientists back at the Valley Windworks. However, there was just one final problem: According to the scientists, both Electivire did not belong to anyone at the Windworks so now they had no place to go.

The Electivire had other plans though. Unknowingly to Dawn and Lucas, they had followed them to the Pokemon Center and then attempted to get Lucas to take them since they both felt so grateful. Lucas felt bad about not taking them in, but since he didn't want tow Electivire on his team, he decided to let Dawn take the female.

In case of a double battle Dawn decided that they needed nicknames. Lucas decided to be simple and name his Electivire Surge. Dawn however decided to be creative and name her female Electivire Elekible.

After another night in Floaroma Town, Dawn and Lucas headed off to Eterna City for the next gym challenge while Barry decided to stay in Floaroma Town for an extra day to do some more training with his Hitmontop and Staravia before going to his third gym challenge.

Luckily the Eterna forest wasn't as bad of a walk that Lucas had anticipated, but when they got to Eterna City, something shocked him.

He felt a pair of lips pressed to his cheek, and what seemed to be followed by a giggle. His face flushed a bright red and he heard Dawn burst out laughing. "Togekiss! That's not how you approach a person!" Somebody scolded.

Lucas looked over and noticed a Togekiss hovering right next to a very tall blonde. She was wearing all black and her eyes were a cold gray. "I'm terribly sorry for Togekiss' behavior." The lady apologized.

"No it's alright." Lucas stated. "What is that thing anyways?" Dawn asked as she grabbed her Pokedex.

"_Togekiss, the Jubilee Pokemon. It shares many blessings with people who respect one another's rights and avoid needless strife." _

The sight of the Pokedex made the Togekiss' owner smile. "A Pokedex? You wouldn't be working Professor Rowan would you?" She asked.

"Actually, yes. I'm Lucas and this is my friend Dawn. We're working on completing the Sinnoh Dex for him." Lucas informed.

"I remember when I went on a journey like that. Pardon me; I seemed to have forgotten to introduce myself! My name is Cynthia."


	6. Love is in the air!

So yeah, after forever I finally got finished with Chapter 6! So on average it's about every month I get out a new chapter –but this probably would have been out a lot sooner if I hadn't had to go away for about a week for holidays and such. Now that Christmas is just around the corner things are bound to get crazy! But as always I will do my best to get each chapter out ASAP.

This chapter mainly focus's on romance, but not like you would think! Pokemon romance! Love is in the air for Pokemon, so how will this affect their trainers?

Chapter 6

Love is in the air.

[Chapter rating PG]

**"Again I apologize for Togekiss' behavior, she has been acting depressed lately due to all the anger in this area.** I assume that the sight of you two together made her giddy and nothing less than excited." Cynthia explained as she patted her Togekiss's head as it floated next to her.

Dawn and Lucas both blushed when Cynthia had said that they were together, and Togekiss noticed this and began to giggle. "Kee! Kissy, kissy!" She giggled as she glided over to Dawn, pecked her on the cheek, and then did the same to Lucas. Next she proceeded to grab the two with her wings and pull them together to where their faces were within inches from one another.

"Togekiss, that's enough!" Cynthia once again scolded. Togekiss rolled her eyes as she glided back over to Cynthia, all while still giggling.

"Togekiss it's time we depart. I apologize once again on Togekiss' behalf because I hope she hasn't caused too much trouble for you." Cynthia spoke.

"No, not at all." Dawn said nervously. "Okay then. Perhaps I shall see you two another time."

* * *

**"Did you hear? The Champion is in town!" A very excited young girl said to her friend who was sitting right beside her.** "Really? Do you think she would let me battle her?" The girl's friend asked.

"In your dreams! She would wipe the floor with you! Your wimpy Sneasel is no match for her team! I bet you couldn't even knock out one of her Pokemon!" The girl mocked.

Dawn and Lucas couldn't help but laugh at the kid's conversation as they sat at their table outside one of the fancier restaurants. The two had been arguing constantly, but it wasn't too annoying.

"I wonder who the champion is?" Dawn inquired as she took another sip of her lemonade. "Who knows?" Lucas replied with his causal smile. "But so there's a Gym in this city?" Dawn inquired.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, the Eterna City gym. The gym leader specializes in Grass-Type Pokemon so its best you use any fire, ice, poison, flying or bug type moves. Those'll be the most effective in this gym."

"So that excludes Bibarel." Dawn replied as she rested arm on the table then put her head on her palm. Stunky would probably be good, and maybe her Electivire, but the best choice would be Monferno.

Monferno...

Not to long ago her little Chimchar was used in a double battle with some girl with a Natu and a Xatu and during that battle he evolved into a Monferno. Ever since then Monferno has acted extremely upset, and even refuses to battle.

Lucas could tell that Dawn was thinking about Monferno and he figured it was time to get Monferno back into his fighting spirit. "Hey, I've gotten an idea. Let's go to the battle park and do a little training before the gym battle. Who knows? It may even get Monferno pumped for the battle!"

Dawn gave him a tired nod. She could tell that today was going to be a tough day.

* * *

**"Okay, so I think I'll use all of them." Dawn stated as Stunky, Monferno, and Lucas' Numel stood in a line.** Numel and Stunky were pretty excited, but Monferno could have cared less.

Stunky snorted at Monferno's attitude and walked over to Numel. "Stunky!" She greeted. Numel tried to reply to her, but he couldn't help but get a little flustered. His cheeks flushed a light shade of pink and he could feel the magma in his back burn. Stunky cocked her head in confusion, and then began to get an idea of why he was getting flustered. She quickly turned away and her fur began to prickle. No Pokemon had ever liked her in that sense, and she thought nobody ever would.

Monferno let out a deep sigh, interrupting Stunky's thoughts. "C'mon Monferno, you cant still be upset can you?" Dawn asked as she bent down to his level. He looked up at her with sad eyes and whimpered. "I just don't get why he's so upset over evolving." Dawn stated as she stood up.

"I don't get it either. You would think that he would be happy since now he has twice the power and is able to protect you-" Lucas stopped mid sentence due to an idea. When Monferno was a Chimchar his soul purpose was to protect Dawn right? If they could make it look like Monferno needed to protect Dawn and he succeeded then surly he would gain a major confidence boost!

The only drawback was the fact that nobody in their right mind would even consider harming Dawn.

"Maybe we should find a Pokemon Psychic." Lucas offered in a joking tone. Dawn rolled her eyes at his joke then looked back down at Monferno. "What'll it take to get you back to normal. If you don't want to battle anymore than that's understandable, but I would like to know what's wrong."

Just as Monferno looked up from the ground a loud thud noise came from across the park.

A little pink lamb Pokemon was standing in front of a large chameleon looking Pokemon. The lamb stared at the chameleon with her defiant blue eyes, and the light blue ball at the end of her pink and black tail was beginning to emit small pulses of electricity.

The red chameleon –Charmeleon– gave a toothy grin at the tiny lamb and the flame on the tip of his tail was steadily growing bigger until it looked like he was twice the size he actually was.

"Flaffy!" The lamb shouted in a panicked tone as she flailed her little arms around. She spotted Monferno sitting on the ground and then proceeded to hurry over to him. He looked strong enough to fend off this annoying Charmeleon, surely he would! "Flaff, Flaffy-Flaff!" She pleaded. Monferno gave her a confused look before something punched him clear across the back causing him to fall forward.

After fitting up Monferno's eyes grew wide with fury. His fists began to glow white and then he punched the Charmeleon right under the chin. "Flaa!" Flaffy cheered. "Char!" Charmeleon growled. "Monferno are you alright?" Dawn asked as she, Stunky, and Numel backed away a bit.

"Monferno!" He howled as he beat one of his fists to his chest. Flaffy tried to run up to Monferno to thank him but he moves his arm in front of her, telling her to stay back. Business with this Charmeleon wasn't over yet.

He then rushed over to Charmeleon again and then jumped up in the air a bit then kicked him multiple times in the head. Charmeleon's body began to glow in a blue aura and his eyes seemed to be glowing. "Charmeleon!" He snarled.

"Monferno stop!" Dawn and Lucas shouted simultaneously. "Charmeleon! Fraaa!" The chameleon Pokemon roared as his claws glowed with a white hue and he then struck Monferno hard enough to leave a deep cut. "Ferno," Monferno grunted.

After seeing the cut on her Monferno, Dawn grabbed his pokeball and tried to recall him, but for some reason he wouldn't return. "Numel stop them from continuing this battle with Ancientpower!" Lucas ordered.

"Numel!" Numel called in a loud enough tone to grab both raging Pokemon's attention. His body flashed in a white light and a ball of white energy formed at his mouth. "Pah!" he shouted as he fired the ball of energy at the two Pokemon. Monferno was lucky enough to avoid most of it, but Charmeleon got caught right in the range of the attack.

Dirt and grass flew everywhere as the attack collided with Charmeleon and the ground. Charmeleon was lying on his back when the dust cleared and he seemed to be unable to fight anymore. "Flaffy!" Flaffy called in an ever so happy tone as she ran up to Monferno, hugged him, then kissed his wound. "Flehe!" She giggled.

"What did you do to Pyro you jerk?" Somebody called.

Dawn and Lucas looked over and noticed a young male who seemed to be fuming with anger. "Pardon me, but your Charmeleon attacked my Monferno first!" Dawn yelled.

The boy repeated what she said in a very childish mocking tone, which made Dawn angry. Kids could be so irritating sometimes...

Pyro the Charmeleon began to stand up at the sound of his trainer's voice and grunted at Flaffy, who was still acing flirty with Monferno. Soon he'll get his revenge...soon. "Pyro are you really going to take that from a stupid Monferno?" The boy asked. Just as he said 'stupid Monferno' this set something off in Dawn. Her Monferno was anything but stupid, if anything his Charmeleon was stupid for acting the way it did.

Monferno could sense that Dawn was feeling angry, so once again he pushed Flaffy aside to keep her out of harm's way. He began to also find himself with more energy than before. It must have been Dawn's fighting spirit that had also snapped him back into the real world. Sure, he wasn't the cuddly little Chimchar he used to be, but now he was a powerhouse and it was time to prove that to everyone. Stunky, Numel, Lucas, this looser of a Charmeleon and his trainer, but most importantly: Dawn.

"Monferno!" He howled as he stood in front of Dawn and the flame on the tip of his tail began to grow larger, making him look twice his normal size.

"Charmeleon!" Pyro challenged as he saw the anger in Monferno's eyes. "Pyro use Dig!" The boy ordered.

Pyro quickly tunneled his way underground, leaving Monferno confused as to where he was. "Monferno use Mach Punch on the ground!" Dawn ordered. Monferno didn't quite understand why he should do this, but his trust in her made him not question her order.

His fists began to glow a bright white and he then rapidly punched the ground a few times. The shockwaves caused Charmeleon to tunnel out of the ground at the wrong spot, making him miss. "Now use Mach Punch one more time, but this time on Pyro!"

Monferno quickly turned around in a vicious manner and then slammed his fists into Charmeleon's stomach. "Cha!" Pyro wailed.

"Brick Break Pyro!"

Pyro's claws began to glow with a white hue and he tried to hit Monferno, but due to all the battling, he was left sluggish while Monferno was still fighting fit.

Monferno seemed to be laughing at Pyro's failed attempts to hit him.

Lucas found it interesting how in just a split second Monferno's whole attitude changed even along with Dawn's, but he did have to admit that she was almost acting like a different person. The Charmeleon was obviously worn out, and his trainer just didn't seem to understand that. "Pyro, shake it off and use Thunderpunch!"

Pyro shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, but everything seemed to be spinning. Suddenly he could see two Monferno chuckling at him, and then it went black. Pyro feel flat on the ground and now refused to get back up. "Stupid good for nothing..." the trainer mumbled as he recalled Pyro into its pokeball. "You'll get yours!" He yelled before running off.

A smirk found its way across Dawn's face as Monferno walked back over to her with a look of sheer pride. "Stunky!" Stunky cheered, along with Numel. Flaffy again rushed towards Monferno and pecked his cheek causing him to blush. "Geez, Flaffy sure is thankful for Monferno." Lucas commented.

"Stuh, Stunky Stuh-Stuh!" Stunky mocked seeing how affectionate Flaffy was being.

"Coco there you are!" A female voice called. "Fla?" Flaffy mumbled as she looked over. Her trainer stood a few yards away from her and began to call her back. Coco sighed and just before leaving Monferno she shocked him with an extremely light Thundershock. "Flaa!" She called before running over to her trainer.

"I'm sorry if Coco has caused any trouble. She seems to be doing that a lot lately." The girl stated.

"No, actually we're glad for Coco's help. If it wasn't for her Monferno probably wouldn't have gotten back into the spirit." Dawn replied.

The girl seemed confused as to what Dawn meant, so without another word she and Coco began to head in the same direction as the Charmeleon boy.

"Eventful hour huh Monferno?" Dawn asked. "Monferno!" he replied as he jumped up at Dawn and hugged her. She giggled at his attitude. "I'm so glad that you're back to your normal self."

Monferno grinned as he jumped away from Dawn's grip and onto the ground.

"So, do we wanna do some training before the gym, or would you rather rest?" Dawn asked.

"Mah!" Monferno replied, signaling that he was ready to battle. "Alright! Lucas, would you use some of your Pokemon to battle us?"

"No problem."

* * *

**"Surge, use Swift!" Came the order of a male. **The large Electivire seemed to glow a bit as stars flew from the waving of his two tails. "Interesting," someone mumbled to herself as the little Numel took the attack like it was no problem. "Now Numel use Mud Bomb!"

A blob of dark mud formed at Numel's mouth and he soon spat it at the Electivire. "Cross Chop!" Came the order of the male. Electivire's hands began to glow for a seconds and just before the mud blob hit him he slashed it in an 'X' pattern.

The person left silently without another comment. "Roserade?" Came the confused call of her Pokemon. "Not now Roserade, but I do hope one of them does challenge the gym seeing as they are both good trainers."

* * *

**Later in the battle both Numel and Surge were deemed unable to battle and Staravia was now battling Stunky.** "Stunky use Fury Swipes before-" but it was too late. Featherdance had already hit, and now Stunky had hardly any attack stat left. "How are going to deal with this Dawn? Stunky has hardly any attack power, and she doesn't know any special based moves, only an evasive move left, and even then, Staravia knows Aerial Ace. The trick to Aerial Ace is it never misses." Lucas informed.

All of this was beginning to become one big ripple effect. It started when Stunky seemed to have the upper hand in the battle, but then Staravia made a huge comeback with Featherdance and Wing Attack.

"Wing Attack!"

Dawn froze. There was nothing to do, but Stunky wasn't going to give up. Not without one last good fight. "Styuuuuh!" She hissed as she used Smokescreen. Suddenly, this gave Dawn a bit of an idea as Staravia's attack missed. "Stunky prep yourself to use Night Slash, but don't actually attack!"

The black haze began to reflect the purple light from Night Slash and it was now hard to tell where exactly Stunky was. "Nice try Dawn, but Staravia use Aerial Ace." Lucas said in a confident tone.

Staravia made a loop in the air and raced at the dark cloud of smoke. "Starfa!" Staravia called in a painful tone. A quick breeze made all the smoke disappear and it was clear what had happened.

Dawn had made Stunky use Night Slash so the light would reflect in different places, changing where Stunky seemed to be. It was true that Aerial Ace never missed, but it never missed the target, and the area Staravia chose was not the area Stunky was in. It was in the area of a rock.

Staravia looked like a bug on a windshield, minus the blood, guts, and overall squished looking factor. "Staa...aaah." Staravia tweeted as Lucas recalled her into her pokeball. "Great job Staravia. Your work will not go to waste."

"I think I'm going to call it quits on Stunky's part. She has had a good amount of training. Monferno will be up next, so who are you going to use to battle?" Dawn said as Stunky seemed to be a little upset since she wasn't going to battle anymore. She walked over to where Numel was sitting and sat next to him. "Stuh," she mumbled. "Numel," Numel said happily as he scooted over a little to make room for Stunky.

"I think I might use Machoke, but then again I think Turtwig needs some training since it seems like he should be evolving sometime soon. But then again I'll be at a disadvantage."

"I say you should use Machoke."

"Machoke it is." He said as he released the Superpower Pokemon.  
"Machoke!" He called as he flexed his muscles. "Go Monferno, you're up!" Dawn ordered as Monferno walked onto the battlefield.

"Machoke, lets start off with Karate Chop!" Machoke ran at Monferno and swiped at him in a karate chop motion. "While he's close use Ember!"

Monferno began to spit blobs of fire at Machoke just before he was hit hard with the Karate Chop. "Maaach!" Machoke yelled as he backed away and seemed to be engulfed in a red flame. A black burn mark could be seen on his left arm indicating that he had been burned. "Awesome Monferno!"

This caused a bit of a dilemma for Lucas. Sure, his ability Guts now upped his attack, but now Machoke would begin to loose heath every so often, so he had to make this battle quick. "Quick try another Karate Chop!"

Machoke ran at Monferno again, but Monferno was too quick for Machoke. He dodged it easily, which gave the burn another turn to affect Machoke. Machoke was on his knees, but a deep red began to fill his eyes. His ability Guts was now really beginning to take effect. "Maaaaaaachoooooooke!" He snarled as he stood up. "Alright! Use Thunderpunch!"

Large pulses of electricity flowed from his fists and in one quick move he nailed Monferno. "Mon," he grunted. "Mach Punch!" Dawn ordered, but the sight of Machoke's ability frightened her a bit, but also intrigued her since now he seemed to have double the power. Monferno did hit Machoke, but it hardly seemed to affect him. "Metronome!"

Machoke began to wave his fingers around, and this time he got lucky with the move he chose.

Machoke jumped up in the air and when he landed on the ground it caused a slight earthquake. Monferno fell to the ground and began to take damage. Once the mini earthquake was over Monferno stood up, and he too seemed to be getting stronger. A red aura began to surround him, and the flame on his tail began to burn with a stronger intensity.

"Monferno use Ember!"

But this time, the flames weren't blobs. It was a straight line of fire and he leaped up in the air and began to spin. He had finally learned Flame Wheel. This had caught both Lucas and Machoke off guard by just enough time to let Monferno strike him will all his power.

It was a one hit knock out.

"Alright Monferno!" Dawn cheered as Monferno began to do his victory dance. "Excellent job Machoke." Lucas said as he recalled Machoke. He couldn't help but smile at Dawn as Monferno leaped into her arms and just hugged her. She seemed so happy, and that was all he could ask for right now. "C'mon, lets take these guys to the Pokemon Center for some rest." He suggested.

Dawn looked over at him and nodded in agreement. "How about we challenge the gym tomorrow?" Dawn asked Monferno. "Monfer!" he agreed.

* * *

**"Stuuuh!"**

"Numel, Num!"

Stunky and Numel greeted one another once they were finally reunited. "Thank you Nurse Joy." Dawn said as she and Lucas walked up to the counter to retrieve their Pokemon. "You're very welcome. Oh and here's your room key." Nurse Joy stated as she handed Lucas the room key.

"Thank you." He replied as the two began to walk back to the room.

Once they were in the room they released all of their Pokemon. The room was large enough for everyone, and Dawn wasn't going to complain since everything was to her liking. The bathroom was enormous, and the room was huge, what more could you ask for?

Lucas and Dawn got changed into their pajamas and then sat on the same bed and started to talk about Dawn's upcoming gym battle. "So Stunky, Numel, and Monferno should seal my victory."

"Don't get too overconfident. Remember what happened to Barry when he assumed that he was going to win? Stunky easily brought down his whole team so never underestimate your challenge." Lucas warned. Dawn laughed a bit as she looked over at Stunky, who was curled up next to Numel. "Isn't it funny how those two immediately liked each other?" Dawn asked. "Yeah," Lucas answered, but he wasn't looking at Stunky and Numel. He was looking at Dawn.

It was then something that Professor Rowan once said that came to mind. "The feelings of a trainer are often reflected by their Pokemon" or something like that.

"So when are you going to challenge another Contest?" Dawn asked while turning back to face Lucas, completely ignoring the fact that he had been staring at he. "No clue. I need to find out when and where the next contest is."

"Next major city will be Hearthome City correct? I know for a fact that Hearthome is a major contest city."

"I'll look into it."

* * *

**"The battle between Gym Leader Gardenia and challenger Dawn will now take place! It will be a three-on-three battle, no substitutions on the Gym Leaders part but the challenger may switch if needed. Let the battle begin!" The referee called.**

"Alright Dawn, are you prepared to give it your all?" Gardenia asked. "You bet! Go Numel!" Dawn replied as Numel walked onto the field. It had been an earlier decision to have all Pokemon stand on each other's side while one Pokemon battled. Gardenia's team consisted of a Grotle, a Cherrim, and a Roserade. Gardenia was a little intimidated by all the Pokemon that Dawn was using, but was nevertheless confident.

Without a word she nodded her head and Grotle walked onto the field.

"Hey Turtwig, that's what you'll look like if you evolve." Lucas said to Turtwig, who was sitting right beside him in the stands. Turtwig looked at the larger version of him and started to feel a little uneasy. "Twee," he mumbled. Sure, being a Grotle will make him stronger, but the physical appearance just didn't seem to go too well with him.

"I'll let you have the first move Dawn." Gardenia offered.

Dawn had to think for a second before calling out a move. Last time a gym leader let her make the first move she later figured out that he was just doing that to figure out her battle style. So maybe she should make it look like she was a bad trainer!

"Numel use Scary Face!" Dawn ordered. Numel's eyes glowed a faint green and it seemed to make Grotle shudder a bit.

This confused Gardenia. Surly Dawn knew that Grotle was slower than her Numel? "Grotle, use Razor Leaf!"

Razor sharp leaves began to fly from the bushes on Grotle's back but Numel took it with ease. "Numel," he mumbled. "Use Yawn!" Dawn called.

Numel's eyes began to look extremely tired looking, and he then let out a deep yawn. "Nuuaaaaaaahml."

Grotle looked a little sleepy and began to sway a bit. "Grotle, hurry and use Grass Knot!"

Shoots of grass began to shoot up from the ground around Numel, and he soon tripped, falling flat on his face. Grotle also fell to the ground, in a completely snoozed state. "Numel use Ember!"

Numel tried to stand up so he could use Ember, but the Grass Knot's kept him flat on the ground to where he couldn't move. Now Dawn was really in a dilemma. Numel couldn't break free from the Grass Knot so he could attack, and since he mouth was to the ground he couldn't burn his way out of the grass, and Grotle would be waking up soon.

"Numel use Ancientpower!"

Numel's body flashed in a white light, but it dispersed at his mouth, but left a slight indention in the ground.

"C'mon Grotle, I know you can wake up!" Gardenia cheered. Well this was annoying. What kind of Pokemon was Numel? An annoyance Pokemon that's what. Scary Face, Yawn, Ember and Ancientpower? But as long as she could wipe out Numel soon, this battle would end quickly. And here she thought Dawn would be a strong trainer...

"Heat Wave!"

An orb of fire began to glow in Numel's mouth and soon waves of fire began to rush around him. The small indent in the earth had given Numel just enough room to where he could use that attack with success.

The fire waves also began to swarm throughout the whole battlefield, leaving hardly any grass. Luckily Grotle happened to be in a patch of dirt, so the fire didn't affect him.

Numel stood up and had a look of determination on his face. "Use Heat Wave again!"

Just as Grotle began to wake up, a bright flash of fire was heading strait for him. "Grotle!" he shouted before the flames engulfed him. Once the flames subsided he began to stand, but the Heat Wave had caused a lot of damage to him so he had to use every bit of strength just to stand.

All too quickly he fell flat on the ground and was now unable to battle any further. "I guess that's what I get for assuming that you didn't know what you were doing. I'm sorry Grotle." Gardenia said as she recalled her Grotle.

Numel snorted in a proud manner and stomped his right foot on the ground as if asking to bring it on.

"Cherrim you're up!" Gardenia called as the flower Pokemon toddled onto the field. Cherrim didn't know any moves that could really harm Numel on a super-effective level, so there was only one strategy. Obviously Numel was a male, so this could prove to be useful. "Cherrim use Attract!"

Cherrim blew a giant heart at Numel and Numel looked started to look very goofy. "Stuuuun." Stunky hissed in a very low tone as she glared at Cherrim. How dare she use attract on _her_ Numel? "Numel, use Heat Wave!" Dawn ordered, hoping that he would attack. Numel shook his head.

"Now Cherrim, use Grass Knot!"

Numel tripped on the ground and received a good amount of damage as Cherrim used Grass Knot, and Dawn could see that Stunky was getting extremely irritated. Even Monferno noticed how angry she was and decided to back up just a little. "Numel, you don't want to upset Stunky do you?" Dawn asked.

Numel immediately shook his head and cried, "Numel, Num! Numel Naaaaem! Nupha, Donmel, Don!"

Stunky and Monferno both let out a gasp at what Numel had said. He had said, "_Forget Stunky! I love Cherrim! As of right now I could care less about Stunky!_"

Tears began to well in Stunky's eyes, and then they began to turn red with fury. How dare he just do that to her? Sure, it was only yesterday that they had decided that they liked each other, but still! "Stunky!" Stunky hissed as she pawed Dawn's leg signaling that she wanted to battle.

"Okay, Numel come back!" Dawn ordered. Numel smiled at Cherrim before walking back to Dawn. "Go Stunky!"

Without so much as a glance at Numel, Stunky hurried onto the battlefield. A deep feeling of hate burned from within her, and a feeling that she had never felt before began to burn. A feeling of acid prickled in her fur as it began to stand on end.

"Stunky, use-"

"Paaaahunky!" Stunky hissed with a deep hatred. Black, sludge-looking goop began to secret from Stunky's fur and flow down to the tip of her mouth. She then spat the sludge bombs at Cherrim.

This caught Gardenia and Cherrim off guard, so it hit head on.

"What was that?" Dawn mumbled.

"Dawn! Stunky just learned Sludge Bomb!" Lucas shouted.

This surprised Dawn considering only moments ago she assumed that Stunky was unable to learn any poison based moves, and here she was using Sludge Bomb?

Dawn could also feel Stunky's hatred for Cherrim pulsing off her, and this seemed a little odd.

Cherrim suddenly collapsed, leaving Gardenia with only one Pokemon left. Her Roserade would have to work hard to win this since Dawn still had a healthy team of three…

So what did you think?  
Yeah, that's not how a Stunky would probably use Sludge Bomb, but you gotta admit that its a cool idea ;]  
If you're wondering what moves Pyro/Charmeleon used it was Dragon Dance and Dragon Claw. DDance can be bred into Charmander and DClaw can be taught through TM.


	7. ByeBye Bibarel?

So finally Chapter Seven is out, and it would have been probably on new years but my computer was kinda taken away by my cousins who wanted me to celebrate with them...yeah... but otherwise I think this is not one of my better chapters. To let you in on a not-so-secret thing, chapter one went through six months of revision so these are written pretty quickly. Oh well, oh and just as a warning to you all, I will probably be posting some pictures and a fic that is not Pokemon related some time, so please don't get your hopes up. I cannot write/type fast, and with school now starting back up...well this is bound to get hectic.

Chapter 7

Bye-bye Bibarel?

[Chapter rating- PG]

**A heavy breath came from the bouquet Pokemon as she dodged yet another Night Slash. **This Stunky was sure proving to be a tough opponent. With the fall of all her teammates it was up to her to win this battle. If only Cherrim hadn't used Attract, then maybe this Stunky wouldn't be so vicious...

"Stunky use Slash!" Dawn ordered. Stunky began to run at the weakened Roserade, but luckily for Roserade she missed.

"Now use Sunny Day!" Gardenia ordered. The bouquets of roses on Roserade's hands began to glow white then she shot the light into the sky, making the sun seem even brighter. "Follow up with Weather Ball!"

A ball of fire now formed between Roserade's bouquets and she then shot it at Stunky. Stunky was engulfed in flames, and this hit must have been critical because she instantly fainted. "Stunky return," Dawn said as she recalled her fainted Stunky. "You did great." She whispered. She nodded at Numel, who then walked back onto the field. Monferno gave a light grunt, saying that he wanted to battle.

"Not now Monferno. I need you incase Numel faints." She explained. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he continued to watch the battle. "Numel use Yawn!"

Just as before, Numel let out a deep yawn, which made Roserade drowsy. "Use Rain Dance Roserade!" Gardenia ordered. The move was exactly like Sunny Day, but instead the light was blue and it caused a slight rain. "Now use Weather Ball!"

A ball of what was now water formed between Roserade's hands, and just before she fell to the ground due to drowsiness, she shot it at Numel hitting him head on.

Since Numel was both ground and fire type, his weakness to water was doubled to where he fainted immediately. This had taken Dawn by surprise because she didn't even consider the fact that the weather would affect Weather Ball. She had originally thought that Weather Ball was actually just a fire attack and that using weather was just a way to lure her into a false sense of security.

Without a word she recalled Numel and Monferno immediately walked onto the field. Dawn took notice of the fact that Roserade wasn't asleep. "I thought Roserade would have fallen asleep." She mumbled. "If you noticed Dawn, Roserade had a Lum berry. Lum berries cure any status problem." Gardenia informed.

Dawn had to be really careful now. As long as Roserade kept it raining Monferno's fire moves would be weaker and Weather Ball would be water type. "Flame Wheel!"

Monferno rolled himself in a ball of fire and then began to rush towards Roserade. "Weather Ball!" Roserade shot the ball of water at Monferno just as he collided with her. Monferno backed away just a bit incase she tried to use another Weather Ball. "Weather Ball one more time!" Gardenia ordered, hoping it would be the last time she would have to call a move. "Monferno use Mach Punch!" Monferno's fists began to glow white and he hit the Weather Ball, but it had hit him enough to make him extremely weak. The current of air that was carried with Mach Punch continued its way towards Roserade and it hit her hard enough to make her fly backwards. Both Pokemon stood up, but then collapsed at the exact same time.

Lucas stood up from his spot on the sidelines and began to make his way over to Dawn as she picked up Monferno. "Hey-"

"Please, just let me be alone for awhile." She mumbled as she walked out of the gym.

"She didn't even give me a chance to say anything." Gardenia said aloud.

* * *

**Dawn sat on one of the benches at the battle park with Monferno at her feet.** "It's my fault. If I had listened to Lucas and not gotten overconfident we might have won." Dawn mumbled as Monferno looked up at her. "Now who's to say that you didn't win?" Someone asked. Dawn looked up and noticed Lucas. "I thought I asked to be alone."

"You've been alone long enough."

"It's only been a few minutes."

"Actually more like close to an hour now. I was going to come sooner but I didn't want to upset you."

Dawn didn't reply as he sat down next to her. Had it really been almost an hour? I sure didn't seem that long. "Here," Lucas said as he handed Dawn the Eterna City Gym badge. "What?" She asked in a very surprised tone. "You left so quickly you didn't let Gardenia say anything about the match. When a gym leader and a trainer have a draw it's up to the gym leader to decide weather or not you get a badge. Gardenia said that even though you let your confidence get in the way she saw the true trainer in you and decided that you deserved the badge." He explained.

Dawn just stared at the badge in disbelief as a wave of relief calmed her. Monferno sensed this, and also seemed to relax. "C'mon, let's go get lunch. My treat." Lucas offered. "You know very well I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own food." Dawn said as she continued to look at the badge. "I already offered so there's no changing my mind now. Lets go. Afterwards we can start making our way to Hearthome. I already know we wont make it in a single say, but there are a few Pokemon Centers we can stay at along the way."

* * *

**It took a little more than two days to finally reach Hearthome City and just as soon as they arrived a little rabbit Pokemon known as Buneary rushed towards Dawn and without noticing she rammed right into her.** It turned out that this Buneary belonged to one of the contest judges. She thanked the two for keeping her Buneary from running to far and then suggested that they check out the Contest Hall.

"Wow, there's so much to do here." Dawn commented as she looked at one of the billboards advertising a few upcoming events. "Yeah, there's even a gym."

"For once I already knew that."

"Okay, but do you know what type this gym specializes in?"

"Ghost type right?"

"Correct, which Pokemon do you think you should use?"

"Bibarel because he's part normal type and ghost type moves won't hurt him."

"Somebody's been doing their homework." Lucas said in a joking tone.

"Something like that," Dawn replied as they reached the Contest Hall. "I was wondering if you were going to stop by here."

Dawn looked away from Lucas and noticed that her mother was standing next to the contest judge Keira. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't I come visit a friend? I do have a life outside of work you know." Her mother joked "Wait, wait! Johanna, this is your daughter? I knew there was something familiar about you!" Keira said excitedly. "Oh well I have to go now. A contest us going to be starting soon but it was nice seeing you!"

After Keira left Dawn's mother turned back around and began questioning. "So, how many Pokemon have you caught?" She asked. "I've got four and Lucas has five."

"Good contest Pokemon I presume?"

"Well..." Dawn said, hesitating to reply. Of course she would be expecting her to compete in contests! "Let me see them."

"Okay," Dawn said as she silently released all her Pokemon. Monferno, Stunky, Bibarel, and her Electivire Elekible all gave their calls but stopped short when they sensed Dawn's tension. Stunky seemed to sense Dawn's tension the most so she was the first to go up to her. "Stuuuuh?" Stunky asked.

"I see you're going for a different approach." Dawn's mother commented as she continued to look over her daughter's team. "Have you won any ribbons?"

"Actually, I kinda sorta...don't really- you see..."

"Well spit it out. It's a simple yes or no question."

Lucas watched as Dawn continued to attempt avoiding the question. He wanted to help her, but what could he say that would help? Not much came to mind.

That's when Dawn had the unfortunate luck of a slight gust of air coming from a Butterfree training a few feet away arrange her scarf just to where you could see her two badges pinned on it. "Dawn Berlitz are those _gym badges? _Have you no shame?" Her mother asked in a horrified tone. "You're actually doing _gym_ battles?"

This reaction had both scared Lucas and Dawn, mainly Lucas since he didn't expect this extreme of a reaction. "Yeah," Dawn answered sheepishly. "Our family is not known for gym battles! We are known for being contest champions! Gym battles are so savage!"

"But mom-"

"No buts! I cannot honestly believe you would do this! You are just like your father!"

The last comment seemed to hit Dawn hard. A few light tears began to well in her eyes since she never thought that her mother would ever compare her to her father. "I am nothing like dad!"

"You are exactly like your father! You may look more like me but you act just like your father! You trash the family name and-"

"Stop! Just go away! Stop yelling at me! I'm not like my father!" Dawn yelled as she backed away then ran out the door, not even bothering to recall her Pokemon.

Lucas started to feel his anger slowly build, but he knew that it would be bad to just yell at Dawn's mother. "I don't know who Dawn's father is," he said with an edge to his voice as he faced Dawn's mother. "But I will say this. I told Dawn to pick contests or gym battles and that I would cheer her on either way. She chose gym battles and let me tell you, she's amazing at it. I see a potential in her far greater than many trainers I have seen."

Lucas then turned around to Dawn's Pokemon and began to address them. "C'mon guys." They all then began to leave the building without hearing anything that Dawn's mother had to say.

Once outside they noticed that Dawn wasn't around. "She seemed really upset so there's no telling where she went. Monferno and Stunky, be careful but go look for Dawn. Bibarel, you can go look for Dawn. I doubt that she's gone to far but I'll take Elekible with me."

Bibarel crawled on all fours in search of Dawn and tried to ignore the commotion of all the people around him. That's when something caught his eye. An average size female Bibarel was sitting alone below an acorn tree. "_Hey, have you seen a female come by here_?" Bibarel asked once he approached her. "_I've seen a lot of females come by here. You're gonna have to be more specific_." She answered as she continued to munch on a few acorns.

"_Um, about my height, a navy blue hair color and wearing pink and black_?" He restated.

When he said his height the female Bibarel looked up and noticed how tall Bibarel actually was. Never before had she seen a male Bibarel this tall, or attractive.

_"I think I have. How about I show you?" _She asked in a slightly flirty tone. Bibarel agreed, but didn't seem to sense the tone of her voice.

* * *

**"Monferno!"**

"Stunky!"

Lucas and Elekible looked to their left and noticed Monferno and Stunky. "You guys find Dawn?" He asked. "Mon!" Monferno answered as he and Stunky began to lead Lucas to a somewhat deserted part of town.

They came upon a very tall building, and from what Lucas could see it was a deserted old chapel. At first glance it looked very old and Spinarak webs seemed to fill every corner, but once inside it seemed very clean. It was easy to see that all the wild Pokemon took great care of this place when humans didn't. At the top of the old organ was a stain glass painting of the Alpha Pokemon Arceus over the top of Mount Coronet.

But this wasn't the thing that caught Lucas' eye. Two Bibarel were standing away from one of the pews where Dawn was seated. "Okay, I understand wanting to get away, but why come here?" Lucas asked bluntly.

"I came here because I knew nobody would be here." Dawn answered as she tried to hold back her tears. Lucas went down to where she was sitting and sat right next to her.

Dawn leaned onto his shoulder and began to loose it. Lucas put his arm around her, but it didn't seem to give her the comfort she was looking for. He turned around a bit to where she could lean on his from and so he could embrace her better. "I don't know why the things your mother said made you feel this way, but I can assure you that I think you are just fine the way you are. Weather or not you are like your father,"

"No! I'm nothing like him." Dawn yelled. Lucas sighed as he tried to think of something to say.

Nothing came to mind so they just sat there for a few minutes with Dawn's Pokemon surrounding them. Other than her team it seemed that they were alone, but what they didn't notice was the little green bird sitting atop one of the organs pipes. His almond eyes kept surveillance on the two since his trainer had given him orders to keep an eye on them and report anything that could prove useful.

After about ten minutes Natu noticed movement from the two and hoped down a few pipes to get a better view. The female had stopped leaning on the male and just seemed to be staring at him with sad eyes. Natu started following the female a few days ago, but he was unable to follow her into the Contest Hall so he had no clue as to why she was so upset.

"Lucas I don't think I can stay here in Hearthome. I can come back to this gym at a later time. I don't care if we have to camp out, I just cannot stay here." She pleaded. "That's fine with me. We can leave whenever you want to."

"The sooner the better."

Natu watched as the humans stood up and the female began to recall all of her Pokemon except the beaver. They let the beaver walked behind them with the other beaver as they left the abandoned chapel.

As they were leaving Hearthome City Lucas decided to do his best to take Dawn's mind off of everything. "So where'd the other Bibarel come from?" He asked. "I don't know. She and my Bibarel found me, but she seemed to be leading the way," Dawn answered as she glanced back at Bibarel and the other Bibarel. They were both walking on their hind legs and seemed to be enjoying one another's company. Though, the female Bibarel was enjoying Bibarel more than she was letting off.

"She seems to like Bibarel." Lucas commented. "Bee!" Dawn's Bibarel called in an alarmed tone as he stopped moving. Everyone turned their attention to him and took notice of his weary expression.

"What's wrong Bibarel?" Dawn asked. The female Bibarel took notice of what Bibarel was seeing so they both readied themselves to attack. Both of them spat a powerful Water Gun knocking whatever it was away from Lucas and Dawn. "Hauuuuunt!" The Pokemon groaned. Dawn and Lucas turned back around and noticed a large purple ghost Pokemon known as Haunter. The Haunter seemed to shake himself free of the water and then turned his attentions on the Bibarel. All Haunter wanted to do was make friends, but they had to treat him as a threat?

"Haunter!" He called as he shot a ball of black energy at the two Bibarel. The Shadow Ball hit both Bibarel, but it didn't even faze them, and this angered Haunter. "Hauntah!" He groaned as electricity began to build, and then finally he shot the Thunderbolt at the female Bibarel. "Bibarel, look out!" Dawn ordered. Bibarel tried to move, but fear took over so Dawn's Bibarel blocked the attack. "Biiiiiab!" He called in a very painful tone. "Bibarel!" The female called in a worried tone. She then looked up at Haunter with a new look of determination. Her body flashed in a white light and a giant whirlpool began to form.

The sight of the massive Whirlpool frightened Haunter and when it hit him it was almost an instant knockout. After he again shook himself off he made a hasty retreat. "Bibarel!" The female Bibarel called as she tried to help Dawn's Bibarel sit up. "Bee," he said in a thankful tone as Dawn and Lucas hurried to find something in one of their bags to heal him.

Lucas pulled out a yellow pear-shaped berry from his bag and handed it to Bibarel. "It's a Sitrus berry. It should help you feel better." Lucas said as Bibarel began to bite into the berry.

Bibarel stood up and seemed to be feeling a lot better and this pleased the female Bibarel. Bibarel seemed to get slightly flustered as he thanked the female Bibarel for protecting him. She too got a little flustered as she tried to tell him that it was no problem.

"Well, c'mon it's starting to get really dark and I think I can see a Pokemon Center up ahead."

* * *

**"Well here are your room keys." Nurse Joy said as she handed Lucas and Dawn separate room keys.** There had been two rooms left and both were only single beds so tonight they would be sleeping in separate rooms. "I'll see you in the morning." Dawn said before walking into her room, which was across from Lucas'. "Yeah, good night." He said.

Bibarel immediately went over to the window, where female Bibarel was and easily opened it. They said goodnight and just before female Bibarel left she rubbed noses with Bibarel making them both blush.

Bibarel turned around and looked at Dawn who was amused by the scene. "Bibarel," he mumbled, as the blush seemed to get deeper. "I think I know what you're going through. At first she just seemed like a friend, but then some things happened and now you don't know what to think of her. Am I right?" She asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Bibarel nodded then tilted his head. How did she know exactly what he was feeling? "I guess you could say I'm kinda going through the same thing. When I first met Lucas sure he seemed like a nice guy but now that we've been through all of this together it just seems different." Dawn said as she recalled some of the things she and Lucas had been through: two gym battles, battling Team Galactic, and what happened about an hour ago. "I don't know what to think about Lucas." Dawn mumbled as she stood up and then released her Pokemon. "Let's get some sleep okay? I know being cramped up in those Pokeballs can't be fun."

"Staravia!" Staravia called as she stretched her wings. "Night guys." Lucas said as he turned out the little lamp next to his bed. He couldn't help but fell it was weird to not have Dawn in the room. He wished he was able to look across the room and know that she was there safe, but it just seemed really odd.

Dawn ended up waking up really early since she forgot to close the curtain to the window so the light came in and woke her up at a pretty early hour. She sat up and noticed that all her Pokemon except Bibarel were still asleep. "Did you sleep at all Bibarel?" Dawn asked. "Bi," he answered as he shook his head saying no. "You really like that Bibarel don't you?"

He nodded.

Something then came to mind: set Bibarel free. But she couldn't do that! Bibarel was the first Pokemon that she caught, but then again she never really used him, and he would probably be happier in the wild again. She slid out from the covers and went to look for Bibarel's Pokeball. She picked it up off of the small end table then walked quietly over to Bibarel. "Bibarel, what do you want to do? I want to keep you, but I would rather see you happy. I know you really like that other Bibarel and I don't want to come in the way of you loving another Pokemon."

Bibarel just stared at the Pokeball. What to do, what to do? Go and be free with Bibarel, or stay with his trainer whom he also loves? Such a tough decision. "Bibarel, I think you should be free." Dawn stated. Bibarel seemed to whimper a little bit before nodding his head in agreement.

The pokeball flashed a blue light that surrounded Bibarel, signaling that he had been released. "Bye Bibarel," Dawn said as she hugged her Bibarel one last time. "Stuuuaah!" Stunky yawned as she began to wake up. "Stunky, say goodbye to Bibarel. He's leaving us." Dawn said as she tried to not show emotion. "Stunky?" Stunky called frantically.

Bibarel was probably her closest friend because even before she talked him into helping her stalk Dawn and Lucas they had been pretty close friends. "Stuun!" She said as a few sad tears began to build in her eyes. Bibarel leaned down and gave Stunky a hug before walking over to the window.

He opened the window as he did last night. "Bibarel!" He called before leaping out the window and heading into the woods in search of his new mate Bibarel.

"I'll be right back." Dawn said before leaving the room and walking over to Lucas'. The door was unlocked so she had no problem getting in, but Lucas was still asleep.

The sound of someone closing the room's door woke Lucas up so he sat up and noticed Dawn at the door. He could tell that she seemed to be very upset so this concerned him. "Are you alright?" He asked as he got off of his bed.

When Dawn got a little closer he could see that she seemed to be trembling a bit. "What happened?" He asked. "I released Bibarel." She answered softly. "What, why?" He asked, but he received no answer. Instead Dawn just seemed to fall into him but nevertheless he embraced her, and even though she was upset he did like the fact that he was able to embrace her.

"I released him so he could be with that other Bibarel. I wanted him to be happy." Dawn finally answered. "Well, I think you did the best thing. Even though it may not seem that way I think it was in Bibarel's best interest since who knows if another Bibarel or Pokemon will come along and like him as much as that Bibarel did."

"I guess so." Dawn replied after she backed away from Lucas. "You probably think I'm a big crybaby now." She said jokingly.

"No, in a way I think I understand what you're going through right now. My first Pokemon wasn't actually Turtwig it was another Pokemon and when I was around five that Pokemon had to leave me. I'll be honest, I cried for a few days."

"What Pokemon was it?"

"Uh well..." Lucas mumbled. "That's not important! The point is, I know what you're going through but unlike you I didn't exactly have anyone who cared about me then, you have me."

Dawn blushed ever so slightly as she thanked him. "Okay, so onto the next topic: the next town is Solaceon, but I think what would be best is taking the shortcut to Veilstone City since a contest will be taking place there soon and if you would like there is another gym there. I think it would benefit us both."

"That sounds good I guess."

"Monferno?" Came the drowsy voice of Dawn's Monferno as he walked into the room, rubbing his eyes. "Morning Monferno."

* * *

**"So much for shortcut." Dawn said as their weeklong journey had finally come to an end.** Lucas only smiled since he was beginning to feel even to tired to speak. The strange thing was they only had been walking for about an hour now. All those nightmares had finally taken their toll, but he wouldn't' let Dawn know this since she finally seemed to be happy. "You wouldn't mind if we just checked out the gym first would you? I know I'm not ready to challenge it, but I would like to at least check it out." Dawn asked.

"Sure," Lucas answered.

The gym was a rather large building, and in some ways it almost reminded Dawn of the Oreburgh Gym. When the two entered the gym they noticed that a battle was taking place. "Xatu use Psychic." Came the bored voice of the challenger.

Dawn and Lucas had moved to the edge of the bleachers just in time to see the psychic Pokemon launch his powerful attack on the Aura Pokemon known as Lucario.

It was easy to see that the Gym Leader was really stressed out from this battle, so her mind was fogged and she began to order moves that weren't exactly useful. "U-use Bone Rush!"

Lucario quickly stood up and a bone of white and green light formed in his hands and he then began to run at Xatu. "Useless," the trainer mumbled. When Lucario struck Xatu with the bone it didn't even make Xatu move. "Sad that you have forgotten Xatu's immunity to ground based moves. Finish him with Heat Wave." The trainer ordered as he green eyes gleamed with discontent.

With Lucario at such close range there was no way to avoid this attack. Xatu's eyes glowed and he opened his beak, releasing harsh flames. Lucario being part steel type took this hit hard and fainted. "Well, a loss is a loss so I guess-"

"I don't wish to hear your pathetic speech. Nor do I wish to take your gym badge. When you actually fight me with honor then maybe I'll consider it, but until then I shall think of you as weak. Xatu faced tougher wild Pokemon than you. You need to actually act like a Gym Leader, not some trainer who just got lucky with the position. Then again, maybe that's all you are." The girl said bitterly as she recalled her Xatu.

She then turned around and began to walk away, leaving the gym leader a little stunned. When she noticed Dawn and Lucas she tried to hide her surprise. Gardevoir and Xatu never said anything about their arrival here to be so soon.

At her first glance Dawn didn't realize who the person was, but when she made the connection between the Xatu and her facial expression she realized this to be Selene.

Selene walked silently past the two, but stopped before she walked out of the gym. "How is Monferno if I may ask?" She inquired.

"Better," Dawn answered.

"That is good to hear. Oh and I'm sorry for the departure of your Bibarel, but I assure you that you'll meet again." Selene said before leaving. "How did she know Bibarel left?" Dawn thought aloud.

"I'm sorry Lucario." The gym leader said in an upset tone as she helped her Pokemon sit up. Dawn and Lucas turned their attention back to the gym leader. Her Lucario grunted as he sat up on his own and began to move away from his trainer. The female with the Xatu shall be punished for what she had said.

The Gym Leader stood up and tried to remain calm as she addressed Dawn and Lucas. "I'm sorry, but I won't be accepting any more gym challenges today."

"That's alright, but allow me to apologize on Selene's behalf." Lucas stated modestly. "She tends to cause some kind of trouble wherever she goes."

Dawn gave Lucas a questioning look as he said that. How could he say that with confidence if they had only met her once before? "Oh, you're a friend of hers?" The gym leader asked in a more sturdy tone.

"Something like that," Lucas answered. "Doesn't sound like you are a friend, but I guess that's not important. If you didn't know already I'm Maylene and maybe tomorrow me and my Pokemon will be up to battling again." She said modestly.

Lucario crossed his arms and let out an angry grunt. Maybe the green one was right; his trainer does tend to wimp out easily. Oh well, a good battle where the apposing trainer actually fought with wisdom and pride would fix her up...


	8. ABSOLving the problem Part 1

Well, finally after that long wait, here it is! Chapter 8 of Platinum Bound! Since I'm on Spring Break right now and have no friends who are around I guess I'll be writing a bunch :D It all depends how much I go visit my mother since my sisters aren't around and she wants 'quality time' with her oldest daughter...bleh!

And if you're wondering why I haven't updated in a while it's cuz my grandfather passed away in January and I haven't really had any inspiration...yeah...so please, don't rush me.

Chapter 8

[PG 13 for mild language]

Absol-ving the problem

Part 1

**Lucas just stood there with his back against the wall, not daring to look up.** He could feel the gazes from the few remaining coordinators along with his cheek that still burned from where Dawn had slapped him. Suddenly a huge green blur passed by him only to land on the back of a familiar friend. "Whoa mate, what happened? Earlier you two were like two Swablu in a Figy Berry tree, and now she's at your throat like a Zangoose would be at a Seviper!" Clyde said with concern as he rested his hand on his light brunette hair. "I don't know, but I've messed up big time," Lucas mumbled. Maybe if he hadn't said the things he did, things would be different.

Numel looked up at his conflicted trainer then across the room. Through the shuffle of feet he caught a few glimpses of Stunky. Her face held a complete look of despair, which made his heart melt. He had to fix this! The magma in his back began to burn as he tried to devise a plan to get Lucas and Dawn to stop fighting. It would require Stunky and maybe a little outside help...

* * *

**Earlier in the day...**

Lucas and his Electivire ducked as another wave of Golbat rushed through the cave, as the tremors seemed to become more frequent. Once the final Golbat passed, Lucas and Surge continued their search for Dawn. The only light they had came from the sparks emanating from the tips of Surge's tails.

A light bang noise came from deeper within the cave making Lucas quicken his pace. After a few short minutes they reached the end of the cave, but there was an extra room concealed by a rock. "Uh! Get off me!" Came the strained voice of Dawn.

"You'll have to do better than that." Replied the mocking tone of a male. "Don't make me hurt you!" Dawn replied with more stress in her tone. "I love it when you look helpless."

Lucas's eyes widened in fear as he gave Surge an order. "Use Dynamicpunch to break through the rock!"

The behemoth Pokemon gave a crazed laughter as his right fist began to glow when he rammed the rock. It seemed to crumble at his touch, but what Lucas had assumed was going on, was anything but that. Dawn was in a strange looking dress and she seemed to be fighting this large bipedal frog. "Dawn!" Lucas shouted, but she didn't seem to notice him.

"Enough for now I guess. Though I still don't know if I trust you." The male said from the shadows. All Lucas could see was a tall figure and sapphire blue eyes. "Oh c'mon! I'm wearing the stupid dress! I fought Toxicroak with my bare hands! What more do you want?" Asked the very frustrated Dawn.

The guy laughed a bit before coming out of the shadows, but the strange thing was, he was still just a black blur with blue eyes. "In good time, but for now, how about you deal with our little intruder?" He asked.

Dawn finally looked up at Lucas, but now her eyes showed no emotion whatsoever. "May I use Toxicroak for a mere moment?"

"Be my guest."

Toxicroak walked in front of Dawn and began to chuckle at Lucas and Surge. "Dawn, I don't want to hurt you." Lucas said in a wary tone. "Yeah, you said that before, but in the end you did hurt me! I hope you die in the hole I'm about to dig for you. Toxicroak, use Earthquake!" Dawn ordered.

Toxicroak leaped really high into the air then pounded his fist into the ground sending violent shockwaves through the ground. In a flash, a giant fissure opened below Lucas and Surge and they began to plummet into the darkness below...

That nightmare repeated itself in Lucas's dreams night after night for the past week, and now it was really beginning to take its toll.

* * *

**As he was changing into his tux he began to try to remember the appeal he and Dawn would be making in the double contest.** Monferno and Staravia would be in the appeal round, and Stunky and Numel would work together in the battle round. They already thought of the risks that could occur when Stunky and Numel battled together, but they figured it would be the best way to get them to be nice towards one another.

When he and Dawn had finally finished changing they headed into the coordinator waiting room and began to watch the others make their appeals. Lucas was yawning when he felt Dawn nudge him slightly. "Hey...is that Selene?" She asked. Once Lucas stopped yawning he looked up at the monitor and noticed the familiar psychic trainer. "Oh great, she here to make more people cry?" Lucas asked scornfully. Dawn gave him an angry look as she turned to face him. "So what? She's critical but smart I guess. I wonder who the guy is."

Standing next to Selene was a male much taller than she was with rich blonde hair and deep amber eyes. His outfit reminded Dawn of an Arcanine's pelt due to the orange with black stripes and in some ways he seemed to remind her of Barry.

"Up next is Selene from Lilycove City in Hoenn, and Damion from Sunnyshore City!" Marian announced.

"Ninetales!" Damion called.

"Gardevoir!" Selene followed.

"Appeal stance!" They called at the same time as they released their Pokemon that were surrounded in red and white confetti.

The large fox Pokemon turned to face Gardevoir and when they locked eyes Gardevoir seemed to be surrounded in a fire colored aura.

"Looks like Gardevoir is using her ability Trace to copy Ninetales' ability Flash Fire! This should be interesting!" Marian said with enthusiasm. "Double Will-O-Wisp!" Damion and Selene ordered.

Both Pokemon's eyes glowed with a blue hue and then they became surrounded with tiny blue flames. Selene then ordered Gardevoir to use Psychic to make her and Ninetales flame orbs seem to dance around the arena. Ninetales was then ordered to use Swift on the flames making them burst into multicolored flames that now danced everywhere. The control over the flame sparkles was handed over to Ninetales using the move Extrasensory while Gardevoir was given one final order. "Heal Bell Gardevoir." Selene ordered.

Gardevoir closed her eyes and began to hum a very lovely melody which was very soothing as some of the fire sparkles landed against her and Ninetales and due to their ability Flash Fire it just seemed to melt away into the skin, or in Ninetales case, fur.

The crowd began to cheer as Damion and Selene took a bow along with their Pokemon. "That was purely amazing, but lets see what our judges think of it!" Marian announced as the camera then switched to the three judges.

"I for one think it was very moving with the beautiful combination between Gardevoir and Ninetales. I absolutely loved every second of it." Mister Contesta commented. "It was the most remarkable I've seen so far!" Mister Sukizo commented.

Normally the town's Nurse Joy would be the third judge, but for the double contest this was a different case. Apparently this lady was very famous for being very harsh with her criticism and was the hardest person to please. "Meh, I've seen better, certainly seen worse. On a scale of one to ten I would give it maybe a seven, but that's being a little generous. It seemed to lack creativity because I swear I've seen this appeal a hundred times over."

Marian seemed a little nervous as she thanked her. "Uh, thank you Veronica for your uh, comment. Now, onto the next appeal!"

"That's going to be tough to beat." Dawn commented as she and Lucas began to make their way towards the arena for their appeal. "I guess so."

"Good luck," came the soft voice of Selene as she and Damion passed Dawn and Lucas. Dawn smiled at Selene but Lucas kept a steady gaze ahead of them. "Up next is Dawn from Twinleaf Town and Lucas from Sandgem Town!"

"Alright, lets go!" Dawn and Lucas called as they released Monferno and Staravia. Monferno was surrounded in star seals that he punched, making smaller stars; while Staravia was surrounded by music notes that she seemed to be whistling as she spun around in the air.

"Let's start off with Fire Spin Monferno!" Dawn called in a peppy tone. Monferno began to spin around a bit and release delayed amounts of fire. "Now Staravia, use Featherdance on the Fire Spin." Lucas ordered in a calm tone.

Staravia began to wave her wings around till a golden light surrounded them, and when they reached maximum luster, they began to fly at the continuing Fire Spin. The feathers began to catch fire, and with the golden aura it seemed to amplify the color and give almost a Rainbow Feather effect. "Now use Whirlwind to wind it up into a tornado shape." Lucas once again ordered. Staravia flew up high and began to flap her wings with great force, causing the fire not to go out, but to get wound up into a tight spiral and rotate like a tornado. "Now Monferno! Use Dig to get underneath it and then use Mach Punch!" Dawn ordered.

Monferno quickly dug his way underground and within a few short seconds he popped up below it while using Mach Punch. The current of air carried with the attack caused the fire-feather tornado to seem to boil up at the bottom all the way up to the top like lava flowing out of a volcano and then explode at the top, but not harming Staravia at all. The fire dispersed as Staravia landed next to Monferno and the two Pokemon proceeded to salute their trainers while the remaining glowing ash drifted down to the ground slowly, reflecting off their clean pelt and feathers.

Marian, like always, gave her opinion on the appeal then moved right on to the judges. "I found it interesting since you showed the power of Monferno and the grace of Staravia, which can be hard to do." Mister Contesta commented.

"Not to mention remarkable!" Mister Sukizo said in response making Dawn sigh inwardly. Sometimes she wondered if 'remarkable' was all this man could say. "I in all honesty thought it was boring. What? Could you not come up with an idea and you just decided to copy the last appeal and give your own little twist? You can't just take someone else's idea, put a little twist on it and call it your own." Veronica commented as she closed her eyes and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

The other judges seemed to shake their head at her slightly rude comment, and Dawn could tell that Lucas wanted to protest so she grabbed his hand with both of hers and got a little closer towards him. "Forget her, the other judges don't even agree anyways." She whispered.

The two recalled their Pokemon and returned to the waiting room to watch the final appeals.

While they were watching two females with a Jolteon and a Porygon, Dawn felt something tug on the bottom of her dress. She turned around, looked down and noticed a little green Pokemon with two different colored roses as hands known as Roselia holding up a bouquet of beautiful red roses. "For me?" Dawn asked as she bent down and picked up the bouquet. "Rosalie! Ah!" The thorn Pokemon called in a shrill tone as she pointed her blue rose in the direction of the door.

There stood, wide grin an all, Barry, but instead of his regular clothes, he was wearing a rather nice white tux. "Barry?" Dawn asked. "Nice performance Dawn." He said, still grinning. "Hang on a sec," Dawn said to Lucas before making her way over to Barry. Lucas shrugged in a delayed response and he continued to think over what Veronica had said.

"Like em?" Barry asked. "They're beautiful." Dawn commented, as she smelled one of the roses. They had a very lovely scent, not that fake rose scent that can be on some store bought roses, more like a very expensive perfume. "I thought you'd like them." Barry said, blushing ever so slightly.

"Roselia! Rose, rose!" Roselia giggled. "New Pokemon?" Dawn inquired. "Yeah, I've had her since she was a Budew and she's finally evolved. Still debating on weather or not to use a Dawn Stone to make her evolve." Barry said causally, before remembering why he had come here in the first place.

"I uh, wanted to talk to you about something if you have time. I know that they won't be announcing who will be going onto the battle round for awhile."

"Sure," Dawn agreed with a bright smile. "Let's walk a bit. Crowds...bother me."

Dawn laughed a bit as they began to walk around the area that encircled the whole arena's seating area. Roselia was walking ahead of them, happy as ever, spreading a few pink rose petals everywhere as she tried to work on her move Petal Dance.

"What's with the tux? You entering the contest?" Dawn asked breaking the small silence. "Oh you don't even want to know. I'm being forced to travel with this girl Tina and she's kinda psycho, and I'm not going into detail as to why I have to travel with her. I'll leave it at I was framed!" Barry joked.

Dawn giggled, but was interrupted by Barry. It was now or never, and if he didn't tell her some things now, he probably would never get the chance again. "Okay but I guess I kinda need to apologize for being a jerk the last couple of times we have seen each other. I guess it's just weird for me to see you get so close to another guy so quickly and yeah... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and I hope you'll understand, or, bah!" Barry suddenly yelled making Dawn jump a bit. All of this seemed like it would be easier earlier but now all he could seem to do was fumble with his words. "I think I get what you're saying, and apology accepted. Even though you've been a jerk...never given Lucas even a chance at anything...over trained your Pokemon to take out your anger..." Dawn said making Barry grumble a bit. "But! Yeah, apology accepted and you're still my friend and I guess I do understand your frustration. One of the people competing in this contest, her name is Selene and sometimes I get angry when we see her.

"The first time we met her I noticed that she kept her focus on Lucas and just a little while ago it was all the same. I try to act like she doesn't bother me in the least, but between Lucas' recent attitude towards her and me it's kinda getting rough between us."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Barry interrupted. "He hasn't hurt you has he?" He asked in an irritated tone. "No I just said things are getting rough. He's just getting irritable right now that's all. I think it's just all this travel." Dawn said in a hurried tone, but she could see in Barry's eyes that he was getting furious. "Just know this one thing." He mumbled as he stopped walking and grabbed both of Dawn's wrists.

"If he ever hurts you, no matter how far he runs, no matter how long he runs, there isn't a place he can hide that I won't find him and bet the living Hell out of him."

His tone had frightened Dawn a bit. A slight shiver ran through her body making the black gems along her white and black dress jingle a bit. Sure, Barry had had his angry moments, but something about this one scared her.

A loud bell sounded over the speaker signaling that the judging was done. "All coordinators please return to the coordinator waiting room for the results!" The voice of Marian chimed. Dawn turned her focus back on Barry and gave him a smile. "I guess I have to go. I'll talk to you later. I'll probably be challenging the gym later on tonight and I would love to see you again!" Dawn said with false cheer as she tried to get out of Barry's grasp.

* * *

**"And now if you'll turn your attention to the scoreboard you will see who will be moving onto the next round!"** Marian announced as the camera switched to the scoreboard. The first trainers were Selene and Damion no doubt, followed by Clyde and some girl, which was strange since Dawn didn't remember seeing them compete, and in third place was held by Dawn and Lucas!

When Dawn looked over at Lucas, for once in almost a week, he actually smiled like me meant it. "We made it! See, I told you that they didn't care about Veronica's comment!" She cheered as she went in to hug Lucas. Lucas returned the hug and they just stood there in a calm embrace when, "Aww, Dawn an Lucas sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

After hearing the kindergarten rhyme both Dawn and Lucas looked over and noticed Clyde and the girl who he was competing with. She had long wavy brunette hair that flowed down to her waist, and cobalt blue eyes. Her pale complexion stood out a little against her bright blue dress that clung lightly to her frame. She seemed to be giggling at Clyde's joke, which made Dawn and Lucas blush slightly. "Hey Clyde," Lucas greeted as he and Dawn turned to face them, but without even thinking he slid his right hand down to Dawn's waist.

"Well it's good to see ya' not in such a grumpy mood." Clyde said in a more casual tone. Lucas laughed a bit at his comment as the blush on Dawn's face began to become deeper when she noticed where Lucas' hand was. "Are you ever going to introduce me?" The girl asked in a very impatient tone, but it was easy to see that she was just joking around. "Oh yeah, this is Snobby-McRicherson the third." Clyde joked with a grin, making the girl hit him on his arm. "Ow! Make that Lady-Punches-Really-Hard!"

"And now your nicknames are getting lame! My name's Naomi." She introduced. "Yeah, she's my contest partner. We've been traveling together for 'bout two weeks now I suppose."

"And now these eight coordinator pairs will be competing against one another in the second round to get to the semi-finals. From there they will compete to get to the finals. First up will be the team of Clyde and Naomi against the team of Selene and Damion!"

Clyde and Naomi suddenly became silent and their expressions grew nervous. Clyde grabbed Naomi's hand as he spoke softly. "Naomi, uh, go make sure that Ledyba and Yanmega are ready for battle. I'll be over to check on ya' in a minute. Kay?" He asked.

Naomi nodded, waved a light goodbye to Dawn and Lucas before heading off. "Crap," Clyde mumbled. "What's wrong?" Dawn asked. "It's Naomi. She's terrified of Selene and Damion because we saw them training a few hours ago and something about their training just terrified her! We've been friends since we were little an I love her to death, but I'll never understand her! I'll see you guys later." Clyde said before hurrying off.

Within a few minutes the coordinators who didn't make it to round two had left and the battle was about to take place. "On my left is Damion and Selene, and to my right is Clyde and Naomi! With five minutes on the clock who will dazzle our judges? At the end of five minutes the coordinator duo with the most amount of points left wins! Begin!"

"Absol!"

"Buizel!"

"Battle Stance!" Damion and Selene called at the same time when they released their Pokemon. Selene's Absol was surrounded in black clouds of smoke, which amplified the disaster Pokemon's blood red eyes. Buizel however was surrounded in a bunch of lightning bolts, and when the two seals mixed it had almost a thunderstorm look to it.

"Yanmega let's go!"

"Ledyba you too!"

Both of the bug Pokemon came out of their Pokeballs, both having bright glittery seals on their Pokemon. The little ladybug Pokemon seemed to be really happy until she sensed Naomi's feelings. All of Naomi's nervousness seemed to transfer over to Ledyba, making her nervous as well. "Ledyba and Yanmega, double Screech!" Naomi and Clyde ordered at the same time.

The two bug Pokemon flew next to each other and then began to let out a harsh wail making Buizel and Absol want to cower since their ears were now hurting. "Don't worry Buizel! Use Rain Dance!" Damion ordered.

Buizel removed his tiny paws from where his ears would be and began to build a tiny ball of what looked to be water before shooting it at the sky. Within seconds the whole field was being doused in a light rain. "Absol, use Bite on Yanmega." Selene ordered.

Absol shook her head once the two bugs quit using Screech and began to quickly run at the giant dragonfly-like creature. "Quick Ledyba use Reflect!"

Ledyba began to dance around a little bit as a pink, reflective box surrounded both her and Yanmega, making him take miminal damage.

Points were deducted from Selene and Damion's score bringing them down to about three fourths of their points left while Clyde and Naomi had lost only about an eighth of their points. "While we're at it, use Light Screen!"

"An while they're doin' that, Yanmega use Bug Buzz on Absol!" Clyde ordered. Yanmega did a flip in the air like he was going to use Aerial Ace but instead he began to let out a wail again but this time causing massive damage to Absol. "Now Buizel! Brick Break!"

"And Absol, use Aerial Ace while Yanmega is close!"

Buizel quickly ran up to Yanmega while using Brick Break causing both Reflect and Light Screen to break. Even though Brick Break was a fighting move it still did enough damage to make Yanmega stop using Bug Buzz. Absol took this opportunity to run up to the weakened bug and slashed him with the black knife looking appendage coming from the side of her head. "Ledyba use Mach Punch!" Naomi ordered just after Yanmega was deemed unable to fight. In one quick swipe Absol was out like a light. This move had surprised Selene but she tried to not show any emotion as she recalled her fainted Pokemon.

"With nearly a minute left on the clock, will Damion be able to turn things around?" Marian asked taking note that Damion's score was a little less that Naomi's. "Buizel use Ice Punch!"

"Make him stop with String Shot!"

Ledyba began to spit a thick silk from her mouth at Buizel's feet, making him incapable of movement. "No matter, use Ice Beam!"

Buizel stopped trying to escape from the silk trap and transferred the energy from his paw to his mouth and quickly shot a powerful Ice Beam at Ledyba. "Quick, dodge!" Naomi ordered but it was too late, the Ice Beam had already made quick contact and seemed to freeze Ledyba's wings making her unable to fly. The clock was down to twenty seconds so Naomi had to think fast. "Comet Punch!"

Ledyba tried to run at Buizel, but with the ice coating her back it was next to impossible to move. "I'm sorry but, Buizel, Protect!"

Just before Ledyba could make any contact with Buizel, he summoned a bright blue reflective surface to surround him making Ledyba's attack do no damage. The clock his zero making a loud buzzer ring and everyone turned their attention to the scoreboard. The person with the most amount of points...Selene and Damion!

"And it looks like with a great amount of luck, Damion and Selene will be moving on to the Semi-Finals!"

Dawn and Lucas looked at one another, both holding an expression that said they now understood why Naomi was scared of Damion and Selene. They were probably the toughest opponents here, and there was almost no doubt that they would make it to the Finals and if they made it there too, that would be the toughest battle they'll face so far.

"Up next will be Dawn and Lucas battling Crystal and Renee!"

"Persian, Mankey, Battle Duo, lets go!" The two girls called. "Stunky, Spotlight!" Dawn called as she released Stunky, who was surrounded by purple smoke. "Numel, you're up!" Lucas called as he released Numel, was also surrounded by smoke, but his was black instead of purple.

The giant cat, Persian, gave a light 'mrrrow' of amusement as she noticed that the little skunk and camel seemed to be arguing a bit.  
"Stunky you're gong to have to put everything aside for now so we can win this!"

Stunky snorted a bit before looking over her opponents: a monkey thing and a giant cat. Couldn't be too tough right? "Mankey use Helping Hand!"

"Persian, use Dig on Stunky!"

Numel and Stunky began to look around frantically since Persian was now unable to be seen and Mankey was busy clapping, which was powering up Persians moves. "Numel, I know you can detect where Persian is! Protect Stunky!"

Numel looked back at Lucas and nodded. After closing his eyes he could tell that Persian was about to attack Stunky. "Nuuum!" He called as he hurried to shove Stunky out of the way. Stunky looked back and felt a little sorry for Numel since she knew he was also weak to ground moves. "Stunky, use Night Slash on Persian!"

Stunky ran at Persian with glowing claws and hit her right on her flank, which weakened her considerably. Numel looked up at Stunky with a little hope in his eyes. Maybe he could win her over once again! "Numel, use Take Down on Mankey!" Numel began to race at Mankey with all the power he could muster. If this attack didn't impress Stunky nothing would!

"Mankey use Assurance!" Renee ordered. When Numel got close enough, Mankey slammed his tiny brown fist into Numel's head. Both of them received damage but Numel received the most due to the recoil effects of Take Down. "Persian, use Icy Wind on Stunky!"

Persian began to hiss at Stunky while releasing a bitterly cold wind, causing Stunky to take damage, and slow down.

"At this rate, I don't know if we'll make it to the Semi-Finals..." Dawn mumbled in a worried tone.

Persian seemed to be laughing at Stunk as she watched the skunk Pokemon try to warm herself up from the freezing wind. Then Persian noticed a spot of Dirt on her front paw. Her cleaning impulse took over making her stop everything and began to wash her paw.

"Don't give up yet, because I've just gotten an idea." Lucas said with a bit of confidence.

Dawn couldn't tell what he was thinking since everything seemed to be hopeless at this point. The clock was down to four minutes, their points were almost halfway gone...his plan had better be a good one if they were to get out of this situation.


	9. ABSOLving the problem Part 2

Chapter 9

Absol-ving the problem

Part 2

[PG 13 for language]

**The two twins Crystal and Renee began to laugh at Dawn and Lucas's attempts to win.** Persian and Mankey had hardly taken any damage and it was obvious that both Dawn and Lucas's Pokemon were getting tired. "Persian dear, use Night Slash on Numel!" Crystal ordered as she flicked some of her auburn hair out of the way from her hazel eyes.

Lucas smirked. "Just what I was wanting you to do. Numel, use Mud Bomb on Persian!"

While Persian began to run at Numel with glowing purple paws, Numel was building a large wad of mud at the tip of his nose and when Persian was in just the right spot he shot it at her. Persian's silky white fur became coated in the sticky brown mud, which frustrated Persian to no end. She stopped attacking and began to furiously lick her tainted fur. "Persian! Stop that and attack!" Crystal ordered.

"Uh-oh! Look's like Persian's cleaning impulse has taken over! I wonder how this will effect things?"

Persian glared at Numel. The mud wasn't washing away and it was his fault! Orange streaks began to shroud her body and soon a purple light underlined it as she began to run at Numel. "Oh no! It looks like Persian has begun to attack without orders, but a spectacular Giga Impact!" Marian spoke.

Numel became too scared to move since he could tell that this move was probably going to make him faint. "Stunky help Numel!" Dawn ordered. "Mankey stop Stunky with Close Combat!" Renee ordered.

Mankey seemed to glow with a red aura and he went completely crazy with punching Stunky. Persian hit Numel with all her strength, but it just wasn't enough to knock Numel down. When he saw how badly Stunky was getting beat up he couldn't take it any longer. He stood up, and even though his legs were protesting, he took a few defiant steps and he began to shudder a bit.

Dawn and Lucas assumed that he was about to evolve, but it was anything but that. Magma seemed to explode out of his back and landed on every Pokemon except Stunky. "Looks like Pokemon from both sides are attacking on their own, but what an astounding Lava Plume form Numel!"

Marian was right. The Lava Plume had successfully knocked out Persian and weakened Mankey considerably. "Mankey use Double Team as many times as you can!" Renee ordered as her sister recalled Persian. Multiple images of Mankey began to fill the area, which was making Dawn really nervous.

For some reason she was unable to concentrate and it was causing her to panic. "Dawn calm down. With both of our Pokemon we should be able to find the actual Mankey." Lucas soothed.

The multiple Mankey had caused Numel and Stunky to be backed into one another, and now Dawn seemed to be panicking even more. From her expression Lucas could tell that she was frozen and would most likely not give an order. "Let's finish them off with Earthquake!" Renee ordered in a sweet tone. All the Mankey jumped into the air and slammed into the ground, and since Numel had taken the most amount of damage, it caused him to instantly faint, and Stunky was close to it.

Dawn and Lucas were down to hardly any points so the only way they could win now would be to knock out Mankey. Stunky could feel rage building inside her, similar to when Cherrim had attracted Numel, but this time she was able to control it. "Dawn you have to order Stunky to do something! There's hardly any time left and Numel is out. It's up to you!" Lucas rushed as he recalled his fainted Pokemon. But as he had assumed from before, she had froze. "There's nothing we can do. We've lost..." she mumbled.

Lucas shook his head and muttered something inaudible to Dawn before taking things into his own hands. "Stunky use Fury Swipes till you find the right Mankey!" Hearing Lucas' voice confused Stunky a bit but she obeyed anyways and luck happened to be on her side at that moment since the first Mankey she attacked happened to be the real one, and successfully knocked him out.

"Well! It seems the team of Dawn and Lucas prevailed after all even though Lucas had to order Stunky in the end. These two will be moving on to the Semi-Finals! We'll see you two later!"

* * *

**"What the Hell was that?" Lucas asked in an angry tone when they got back the coordinator waiting room.** "I-I'm sorry! I just froze! I just got panicked that's all!" Dawn replied with Stunky in her arms. "You almost cost us the match! I don't understand why you're perfectly calm in a gym battle but you freak out easily in the contest battle! It's just like every other battle!" Lucas said increasing his tone.

Dawn placed Stunky on the ground so she and Numel could recover from the battle before continuing. "I said I was sorry! It won't happen again!"

"How do I know you won't mess up again? It wouldn't be the first time you've done something that screws up everything else!"

That was it. Dawn had had enough. In one quick movement she slapped Lucas hard enough on his cheek to leave a slight mark. "When you're done being a PMSing little complaining girl you can come talk to me but until then I don't ever want to speak to you again! I-I'm so sick of you constantly criticizing everything I do and I'm sick of this attitude that you've had for over a week now! What happened to the Lucas that was sweet, caring, and smiled all the time?" Dawn yelled, ending on a sad note as she began to walk away.

Stunky looked from Numel to Dawn a few times before hurrying to catch her trainer. What a mess this turned out to be...

* * *

**Selene and Damion watched as Dawn and Lucas had argued and Damion winced when Dawn slapped Lucas. **"Dang, that girl can hit with some force!" He commented. Selene only sighed at his remark. "This could be disastrous you know. Lucas was the only thing that could change her destiny. If their relationship is not repaired then Sinnoh, and possibly the world, will collapse!" Selene reminded in a hushed tone. "Sol," Absol grunted catching the attention of Selene. She looked down at her Pokemon and noticed two others, Stunky and Numel. "Stuuh!"

"Numel!"

After glancing at the Pokemon, Damion came up with an idea. "How about you go talk to Lucas and I go talk to Dawn? The Semi-Finals won't be for a while now."

Selene nodded and began to walk over to Lucas who was now talking with another male. Damion smiled at Selene even though she wasn't looking before heading off to speak with Dawn.

Stunky and Numel looked at one another. Everything was going smoothly so far they just needed to make sure that Damion and Selene were actually going to help now. Stunky hurried across the blue floor and past the shuffle of feet so she wouldn't get kicked by anyone to where Damion and Dawn were. Dawn was trying not to cry, but Stunky couldn't tell if it was from anger or just being upset, or a mixture of both.

"Hey Dawn, can I speak to you for a minute?" Damion asked in a soft tone. "S-sure." Dawn replied, moving over a bit from where she was sitting so Damion could sit. "Now I know we don't know each other that much, but I want to talk to you about Lucas."

"There's nothing to say about him." Dawn mumbled bitterly. "Obviously there is if you're this upset over what happened." Damion spoke softly. "Yeah, I guess so." Dawn mumbled. "Okay, I'm here to listen and feel free to take your anger out on me. I won't mind." He said jokingly as he sat next to Dawn. His comment made her smile a bit. "It's just, I can't explain it. All I know is that it hurts and it feels like I'm never going to get better, and it's bringing back awful memories that I never wanted to remember." Dawn explained in a panicked tone.

"I know exactly what you're feeling. It's one of the worst feelings in the world and yet there is no medicinal cure for it. Heartache dear Dawn, and you just received a near fatal dose of it." Damion said in a matter-of-factly tone.

Stunky stood on her hind paws and placed her head on Dawn's lap and began to purr as a form of reassurance. Dawn smiled at her Pokemon and began to pet her head, making Stunky's tail swish in delight. "And I'm sure you've heard this hundreds of times before," Damion continued as he placed his hand on Dawn's shoulder. "It gets better, and that I promise. I can't say when, but it gets better."

While Dawn and Damion were having their rather peaceful conversation, Selene decided to take a different approach. "Okay Lucas, we need to talk, I hate to sound rude but I must ask you to leave." She started in a serious tone, causing Clyde to walk away without another word. Lucas didn't look up at her, and this made Selene angry. "If you ever want to make things better between you and Dawn I suggest that you talk to me this instant." Selene said, trying to suppress her anger.

Lucas sighed, "What makes you think that just by talking to you everything will be better between us?"

"Because even though most likely you don't see it, I can see that you two share a strong connection and that connection cannot under any circumstances can be disrupted for reasons I am not allowed to explain to you yet. That and I know you can't stand the fact that you are hurting Dawn immensely." Selene explained, still trying to remain calm.

She did have a very good point. Lucas hated hurting Dawn like this, but he decided to play dumb since he still held a distinct dislike for the young trainer who seemed to speak in riddles most of the time. "What do you mean I'm hurting Dawn?" He asked. Selene glared at him. How dare he play dumb in a situation like this? Luckily for her, Numel decided to lash out at Lucas for her. "Numel! Na nu!" He snorted as he stomped his foot on Lucas', which surprisingly hurt quite a bit, but Lucas tried to act like it didn't hurt. "You realize that Dawn's Stunky and your Numel really like one another, and what was that saying some famous professor once said? 'Pokemon often reflect the feelings of their trainers'?" Selene asked.

"If that's the case then Numel would be all over Dawn not Stunky..." Lucas said before realizing what he had said, earning a smirk from Selene. "No, your Numel isn't 'all over' Dawn, but if I remember correctly, your Machoke was always eager to impress Dawn, so I think he has a soft spot for her.."

Lucas began to blush a bit since he knew she was right...she was right! And he had just treated Dawn like utter crap! "But what do I say to at least make her not angry at me anymore?" Lucas asked.

"Something tell me that if you just say you're sorry," she started as Damion and Dawn came around the corner into the main room, "she'll forgive you."

Lucas nodded and when he noticed Dawn and Damion he froze a bit. Grief struck him like a rampaging Tauros. Her face held a slight red hue to it, leading Lucas to believe that she either been crying...or Damion had been flirting with her. That wasn't it. Lucas had picked up a vibe that said he was into Selene, which Lucas found odd, but who was he to judge? He began to walk towards Dawn, and she began to walk towards him, ending up meeting each other half way.

"Look I uh-" the both said simultaneously, making them both laugh a bit. "I guess I should go first since I was a complete jerk." Lucas proposed with a light blush. Dawn nodded slightly and began to listen. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for...everything. I've been a jerk and you certainly didn't deserve any of the things I said. I don't really know what to say other than that and I hope that you won't stay mad at me." Lucas began to blush a bit since he felt like a complete idiot saying all of this on such a cheesy manner, but what else was there to say?

"Pardon me for the cliché saying but...I don't think I'd be able to stay mad at you for long." Dawn said with a smile, and a deep scarlet blush.

Stunky and Numel looked at one another and nodded. Thanks to Numel's quick thinking on getting Damion and Selene to help, their trainers were now at peace.

_"Hey Numel. I guess we haven't really patched thing up have we?"_ Stunky asked turning to Numel. Numel shook his head but walked a little closer to Stunky. _"No, but I don't think we need to."_ He said before he rubbed his nose against Stunky's cheek, making her blush a bit.

Lucas then began to remember that he pretty much told Selene that he liked Dawn. Should he tell Dawn? Maybe now wasn't the time...

"But I guess I feel like I should apologize too since I did yell back quite a few times." Dawn states nervously. "Honestly, if I'm being a jerk you have more than the right to be a jerk back." Lucas said with a weak smile.

The Semi-Finals ended up being a breeze for both Dawn and Lucas, and Selene and Damion. Now it was onto the finals, Dawn and Lucas verses Selene and Damion.

"Alright! It's time for the finals! Team Dawn and Lucas verses team Damion and Selene! With five minutes on the clock, let's begin!" Marian announced.

Both teams called their Pokemon onto the field and quickly began to strategize. "Okay, I think that Damion will use either Rain Dance or Icy Wind first. The rain will make Numel's fire moves weaker so I suggest we do our best to get rid of Buizel fast, but be careful of Absol because that Pokemon of hers seems to be very strong." Lucas explained. "Okay then, Stunky let's start off with Night Slash on Buizel!" Dawn ordered.

Lucas refrained from giving an order, so he could see what was going to happen. "Buizel, use dig to get away!" Damion ordered. Just as Stunky began to run at Buizel with glowing paws, the weasel quickly jumped into the air then began to tunnel his way under ground. Stunky skidded to a halt and began to look around.

"Absol, use Attract on Numel!" Selene ordered causing both Dawn and Lucas's hearts to jump a bit. If this move landed, would Numel fall for the chaos Pokemon and just end up making Stunky mad again?

Absol reared up on her hind legs and when her front paws landed back on the ground an outline of a heart appeared at the tip of her nose and when she made a kissing motion the heart began to fly at Numel. "Ancientpower!" Lucas ordered.

Numel's body flashed, quickly forming a ball of white light at his mouth deflecting the heart and then when he shot the attack it hit Absol head on. Just when that was over, Buizel shot out of the ground at Stunky, injuring her considerably. "Fury Swipes on Buizel!" Dawn ordered.

Stunky began to swipe at Buizel multiple times, landing a hit every other swipe. "Buizel, use Dig one more time!" Damion ordered. With a quick salute the orange weasel once again tunneled his way underground. "Absol, use Headbutt on Stunky."

"Dawn, have Stunky run over to Numel. With Buizel underground we're going to try something." Lucas whispered. Dawn nodded, knowing what he was doing. "Stunky, hurry back to Numel, but use Smokescreen while you run to throw off Absol!"

Stunky began to run back towards Numel while she released the black haze from her tail as she ran, making Absol stop running due to confusion. "Now Stunky, you're going to have to jump up in the air really high so Numel can attack!" Dawn ordered, slightly confusing Damion and Selene as to what they were planning.

Stunky did a quick paw-stand then did a slight back flip but landed on her tail, then used that momentum to bounce into the air. "Earthquake!"

Numel's expression darkened as he reared up and slammed the ground with enough force to send a strong ripple through the field, even shaking the judges table a bit.

Buizel was shot far out of the ground, slamming him into Absol knocking them both out just as Stunky landed back on the ground. "And in near record time it looks like our contest champions will be the team of Dawn and Lucas!" Marian announced as the crowd began to cheer loudly for Dawn and Lucas.

* * *

**"It is my distinct honor to award you both with these contest ribbons." Mister Contesta announced as he handed Dawn and Lucas two black and gold ribbons. **"It was an honor to see two young coordinators work together in such a way. I think everyone here will agree that this is a contest that we won't forget in a long time."

Dawn and Lucas smiled, said their thanks then quickly headed back to the coordinator room and noticed something a little unusual. Selene and Damion were talking, but Selene seemed to be giggling and blushing considerably. "Hey! Dawn, Lucas! Congrats! If we had to loose to anyone I'm glad it was you two!" Damion said confidently. When Selene looked up and noticed the two, she turned away and began to try to regain her normal composure, without much success, making Damion laugh a bit. "Don't mind her. She just doesn't like it when other people see her emotions. But again, congrats."

Dawn was about to say something when a female voice interrupted hers. "Ummm, Dawn, you have a video message in the main lobby." The receptionist spoke softly. "I believe the woman said she was your mother."

"My mom? Oh great..."

Dawn and Lucas entered the main lobby, still wearing their contest outfits and when the lady pointed to the videophone, if Dawn didn't know any better she'd say that her mother looked content. "Dawn," her mother started. "Mom," Dawn said with hesitation.

Lucas decided that it would most likely be in Dawn's best interest that he stay out of the picture while they spoke. Especially since he basically yelled at her mother the last time they spoke in Hearthome City.

"I saw the contest. It was a good appeal, but I must ask one thing: Who came up the appeal?" Her mother questioned with an unreadable expression. "Me and Lucas I guess. I thought that his Staravia's Featherdance would look nice against fire, but he thought of the Whirlwind part." She explained.

"Strange. I thought you were just mooching off of Lucas' idea in an attempt to regain my trust! Let me tell you this Dawn: You are not allowed to come back home until you have actually earned all of your badges. But until then you will be known in this family as the heir who trashed the family name, but I bet this'll end up just as it did with your father. In utter failure! So I'll repeat it one more time: You are to never set foot in Twinleaf again until you have earned all eight Sinnoh gym badges. Now, I'll talk to you again when, no, _if_ you complete this task.

"Remember, you have to make up for what your father did." The videophone then went blank, along with Dawn's expression. She had originally thought that maybe her mother was going to apologize to her, but that was just looking at things through the rose colored glass wasn't it?

When she turned around to face Lucas, he noticed her blank expression but could tell that deep down she was hurt far worse that he could ever imagine. Why couldn't her mother just understand that Dawn was happier doing gym battles instead of contests? "I-I better get ready for my gym battle." Dawn said before briskly walking away, leaving Lucas behind.

Lucas was about to hurry after her, but someone else had other plans. "That's it. I'm going to make you regret the day you ever met Dawn!"

The threat made Lucas turn around ready to defend himself, but he relaxed when he saw Barry. "Pardon?" He asked. "I'm sick of watching you hurt Dawn! She told me how you two were arguing, and I saw the argument you had before your battle in the Semi-Finals. Like I said, I'm going to make you regret that day you met Dawn." Barry said in a dark tone.

"Barry, I'm not gonna fight you. Especially since you don't know what just happened. We worked everything out, but like I said, you don't know what just happened." Lucas spoke in a very calm tone. This seemed to calm Barry a bit, but also set in a new stage of fear for Dawn. "What happened?" He asked.

"Dawn and her mother have been arguing and just a minute ago her mother told her that she's not allowed to go home until she basically redeems herself by earning all the gym badges and something about making up for what her father did?" Lucas explained, trying to imply that he didn't understand the meaning behind Dawn's father.

Barry's expression turned sullen. His bright orange eyes seemed to dull as he began to remember the things Dawn's father did. "She's never told you about her father...has she?" He asked, receiving a shake of Lucas' head. "I can't say I blame her. It was basically the reason I feared you were hurting Dawn because when we were young, she was ten I was eleven, Dawn's father started getting violent. Dawn was a daddy's girl of some sort. She and her father were inseparable, things like that. But then one day, he came home drunk just after me and Dawn had really gotten to be friends.

"We were sitting at the counter, having some of her mothers homemade Leppa Berry Juice since it was a hot day and we had been playing with her mothers Pokemon outside. Well, he came home drunk as I said, and just started wailing on her mother. After we cowered in the corner he snatched Dawn by her arm and I tried to stop him, but he just made it worse for Dawn.

"He constantly hit her, called her obscene names," Barry stopped for a second. Remembering this was beginning to hurt and bring a slight tear to his eye, but it was probably best that Lucas knew the truth. He took a deep breath and began to continue. "By the end of it he hit me a few times and Dawn was hurt badly. Dawn was my only friend at the time, and it hurt me to see her in so much pain. I'm pretty sure that her left arm was broken in two to three places while me and her mother only suffered bruises and a few open wounds.

"We made up the excuse that a wild Ursaring attacked us, and they believed it for awhile. Her father was arrested a week later after I finally told my mother what happened and he was sentenced to a ridiculous minimal fifteen years prison. I never want to have to see her in that much pain ever again. Her father was a great man, very supportive, did everything to make sure she stayed happy and like Dawn he also did gym battles but never completed the challenge, which wasn't good for his family since on both sides they've been known for being contest champions. I guess I just worried that you would be the same."

Lucas just stood there trying to digest everything that he had said. Now he felt a million times worse about what he did. Barry had all the right in the world to beat him to a pulp right now! All he wanted to do know was embrace her and make sure that nothing ever happened to her again, but that would be smothering her and that was just as bad as ignoring her. "This is gonna sound weird, but Lucas, make sure that you don't try to treat Dawn like she's helpless. Knowing her she'll just get angry, but don't treat her like you and I didn't have this conversation. I know she doesn't like me in the same way she likes you, but make sure you never hurt her. I don't want to actually have a justified reason to kick your ass."

* * *

**Dawn finished getting her regular clothes back on and sat down on the small bench in her changing room.** She stared at the dress, knowing that she would have to return it soon since it was only a rental dress. She flipped over her pink scarf, revealing the two gym badges pined to it. Two out of eight badges, then she could go home. What kind of agreement was that?

_"I wish I knew why you say I'm like dad when you seem to be acting more like him than I ever would..." _She thought as she let her scarf out of her light grasp. "Dawn," came the light voice of Lucas. "Hang on," Dawn replied as she gathered her things and hurried out of the changing room. "Let me return the dress real quick then we can start heading over to the gym."

Lucas nodded and waited patiently for her to return and when she did he grabbed her hands, pulled her a little closer and looked her straight into her eyes. "I honestly think I should be on my hands and knees begging you to forgive me." He said in a hushed tone. "You already said you-"

"Barry and I talked. He told me about your father. I'll never be able to forgive myself for treating you like that, especially since I now know what you've been through. Just know that you're never being forced to travel with me. If it makes you happy I'll leave you to either travel with someone else or on your own. As long as-" he was interrupted by a slight laugh from Dawn. "Lucas I don't want you to stop traveling with me. I wish I knew why you seem to insist that I think that." She said as she leaned into him.

He put his arms around her in a tight embrace, resting his head on top of hers. They stood there for roughly ten minutes when someone came over the intercom saying that all tux and dress rentals needed to be returned soon because the arena would be closing in twenty minutes. "I guess I should get back into my regular clothes."

* * *

**On their way to the gym, they kept a steady pace, watching some of the Taillow and Starly fly overhead to land on the now turning on steep lamps.** "Get back here with that you mangy beaver!" Somebody shouted. Up ahead of Dawn and Lucas was a very large Bibarel running on his hind legs, holding what seemed to be an egg that was red at the top and a creamy orange at the base. "Biiiab!" The Pokemon called frantically. Behind Bibarel were two people who looked a lot like the Team Galactic grunts that Dawn and Lucas had battled in Jubilife City.

The Bibarel turned around and shot a small Water Gun at the grunts in an attempt to loose them, but instead backfiring because the Pokemon with the grunts were Croagunk and their ability happened to be Dry Skin, which absorbed the water. Bibarel then decided to run behind Dawn and Lucas for protection since he knew that they were trainers.

"Hand over the Bibarel and the egg or you both get it!" The male grunt threatened. "Bibarel?" Dawn questioned, trying to get a good look at the Bibarel. There was no doubt about it. This was her Bibarel that she had released about a week ago! "You're not getting Bibarel or the egg!" Dawn shouted back. "Heh, your first mistake. Croagunk, show her why she should listen with Sucker Punch!" The grunt ordered.

Before anyone had any time to react, Croagunk hit Dawn's stomach with enough force to make her feel completely out of breath. She tried to catch her breath, but ended up collapsing to her knees due to the pain. This set off Lucas. How dare they hurt Dawn? She didn't even do anything! Once again, before he could do anything, Croagunk tried to attack with Sucker Punch on Lucas, but as Lucas braced himself for the impact he realized that nothing touched him. Croagunk was standing in the position, ready to punch him, but he wasn't moving.

A slight pink-purple aura surrounded his whole body, and Lucas recognized this as either Confusion or Psychic. Bibarel couldn't learn either moves, so what was going on? "Na-Natu!" A little bird chirped as it landed on top of Croagunk's head and chirped a laugh with glowing eyes. "Hey jerk-wad! Tell your Natu to scram!" The female grunt ordered when she realized this her Croagunk was also being stopped with the psychic attack.

Lucas didn't reply since he took this opportunity to help Dawn stand. "Natu will stop attacking when I tell him to. Until then I suggest you leave before you face a far worse consequence." A feminine voice called from behind.

Lucas looked back a bit and noticed Selene and Damion. Damion had his Ninetales at his side and Selene had her Gardevoir also by her side. Damion's expression seemed a lot less enthusiastic than the expression he seemed to wear throughout the contest, while Selene wore an expression of complete hatred.

The two trainers walked up to the side of Lucas that Dawn was leaning on, and Ninetales just glared at the two grunts. "Natu, give them their Pokemon back." Selene suggested. Natu jumped off of Croagunk's head then blinked, sending the two Croagunk back at their trainers.

"Now, now, now, all this fuss over a simple misunderstanding? My employees should know better than that." A strong male voice said from behind the two fallen grunts.

A tall male who looked no older than eighteen with deep blue eyes and matching hair, wearing an ash gray suit approached the two grunts from behind, making them stand quickly. "S-Saturn!" They stammered in unison. "I'm sorry for their behavior. These two tend to get out of hand at the most peculiar times." He said solemnly.

When Lucas noticed the color of his eyes, he almost froze. They were the exact same eyes he saw many times in his dreams, but he tried to remind himself that they were just dreams and nothing more.

"Oh don't be so smug Saturn. Team Galactic is up to no good and you know it!" Selene accused. Saturn smirked at her accusation. "Team Galactic is not up to 'no good'. We're simply working on a new source of energy. You could call it 'going green' but actually putting it into action. You have my word as one of the Division Directors that we're not aiming for global domination or anything of the sort. Who do you think we are, someone like Team Rocket in Kanto? Like I said, we're working for the greater good. These two just obviously don't understand."

"Well one of your 'employees' just hurt Dawn!" Lucas glowered. "Oh dear, I just assumed you two were getting a little 'friendly'. Once again you have my word that these two will be severely punished. Obviously they don't realize what this could do to Team Galactic if this gets around." The guy said in a stern tone. The two grunts seemed to duck as if avoiding him hitting them, and everyone -with the exception of Dawn- watched as they silently walked away. "Are you alright?" Damion asked, turning to face Dawn. "I'm fine, it just really stings that's all." Dawn answered.

Damion's smile returned, and Selene's expression calmed. Now everyone turned their attention to Bibarel. "Bee!" He cheered. "I think that this is my Bibarel." Dawn said, moving away from Lucas and standing in front of the large beaver Pokemon. Bibarel nodded a bit, looked from the egg to Dawn a few times before handing her the egg. "Gardevoir says that Bibarel wants you to take the egg. He thinks it would be better in your care." Selene spoke.

Dawn looked at Selene with confusion. Now she could talk to Pokemon? She certainly was an interesting person. "What happened to the other Bibarel?" Dawn asked. Bibarel began to blush a bit as he placed his paw on the back of his head. "Bibarel says that she's busy taking care of a few eggs of their own, and he was protecting the nest from Team Galactic but they caught him and dragged him here. He escaped and decided to take this egg with him since he knew that they wouldn't do any good with the Pokemon inside." Selene said, repeating what Gardevoir was telling her using telepathy.

Dawn smiled at her former Pokemon. "Aww that's great Bibarel! So this means that you'll be leaving...well it was great seeing you but could you hang around for one second?" She asked before handing the egg to Lucas and grabbing one of her Pokeballs. She released the Pokemon inside, which was Stunky.

Stunky looked around in confusion. Nobody seemed to be battling...that's when she noticed the really tall Pokemon looming over her. "Stuuunky!" She greeted. Bibarel picked her up and gave her a hug. He certainly did miss his old friend. While the two Pokemon were doing a brief catch up with one another, Damion took this time to ask Dawn something.

"Say Dawn, do you need an egg case? If you're heading to the gym I can bring you one since I have an extra."

"That would be nice." Dawn agreed with a smile. Bibarel quickly headed off before giving Dawn and Stunky one last hug and Damion and Selene headed back so they could get Dawn the spare egg case.

Next stop, Veilstone Gym!

* * *

Well, I'll admit that this wasn't my best work by far, and honestly I have no clue how this'll work out till we get to Byron's gym :\ To me this chapter was rushed and sloppy, but at least the background information is now in place...I've made Dawn's family a bunch of jerks haven't I? But Spring Break is over (while most people are just starting theirs) so the next chapter will be in roughly another month...yeah...but who knows? I may have a random streak of inspiration, and now that I think about it I have a few ideas for the next chapter, but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. lol at my epic failing at explaining things.

But yeah, I finally brought in Saturn :D My personal favorite commander in Team Galactic ^-^

And I've finally gone back through all the chapters and fixed all the little random problems with italics and bold stuff. lol


	10. Togekiss' letter

_**Important! If you are just now re-reading this I had to change the letter from three weeks to eleven days so things can work out better in Chapter 11! Thank you :3**_

Chapter 10

Togekiss' letter

[Chapter rating- PG-13 because of maybe a few words and suggestive dialogue]

* * *

**The lit tip of small candle seated on a small oak table seemed to dance under the manipulation of the large psychic bird in the opposite corner of the bleak looking room.** Two gray metallic bird Pokemon stood on opposite sides of the double bed with their red feathers on the bottom of their wings hidden at their sides. When the door leading outside of the room became slightly ajar, the two birds opened their eyes, revealing a piercing yellow color.

When the birds shifted a bit, their metal wings clicked against their metal body, frightening the other bird Pokemon in the room, enough to make him stop using his powers to manipulate the fire. "After this, we won't meet again for awhile." A female spoke as she entered the dimly lit room, followed by a tall male. "And what do you mean by this?" The male asked as he sat on the floor and began to sift through a few bags. "This is our last night together. The next time you and I meet up with Dawn and Lucas at the same time will be in thirty-five days. We will meet at the Canalave City library and then destiny will begin to catch up from there. If a few things don't play out right everything I have warned you about will happen." The girl explained in a casual tone.

The guy nervously scratched the back of his head as he turned to face her from his spot on the floor. "Yeah, say Selene, why don't you refresh my two Skarmory's memory and Xatu's. I think they may have forgotten." The Skarmory and Xatu gave him a slightly offended look as he said this, particularly Xatu. He was after all the one who could see the future along with Gardevoir.

Selene sighed a bit at her friend's forgetfulness, but proceeded to explain once more. "I've probably repeated this a thousand times now Damion, but Sinnoh will collapse as we know it!"

Damion opened up a blue backpack before turning to her once more. "Yes, you have said that a million times but you've never been specific about what that means." He said as he pulled out a mismatched pair of socks, giving them a look of confusion.

"Fire will spread throughout the whole land...Dialga, the ruler of time will be controlled by evil and with that the fires will be unable to be stopped. Palkia, the ruler of space will distort this world shortly after, causing one massive battle between all Pokemon. Kyogre and Groudon will arise once again and battle, while all other Pokemon remain powerless to do anything about it due to the orders from the person who caused all of this. Within a week of this though, all volcanoes on the planet will erupt and massive tsunami's will break out and Dialga and Palkia will create a new world ideal to their owners specifications. It will cause the death of the entire population of the world, humans, animals, and Pokemon all alike. It's why we must make sure that none of this happens." She explained in monotone.

Damion's amber eyes shown confusion as he began to think over everything and continue to search for the egg case. "And all of this will be Dawn's fault?" He asked. "Not quite. It will be ours and Lucas's fault." She replied with a slightly worried tone. "Ah-ha!" Damion cheered once he finally found the empty egg case. "But how will it be our fault." He asked after standing up. "There are multiple things we could do wrong to effect things. As of right now nothing is set in stone so there is no correct reading of the future, so until then we'll just have to make sure that we do everything according to the current plan."

Damion smiled at his friend. Half the time he didn't understand what she was saying so he would just smile and go along with everything. "You sure amuse me." He said with a wink as he placed two fingers under her chin, making her look directly at him. Selene blushed slightly before quickly turning around. "W-we should get going." She stammered. Damion glanced at the Pokemon who stood still like statues in the dark room before following Selene out of their hotel room.

* * *

**Dawn and Lucas finally arrived at the Veilstone gym, and when they entered the gym's main battle area, they saw Maylene training with her Lucario.** "You timed your arrival well." She called, continuing her sparing match with Lucario. "I saw the contest battle, and I must say that I'm slightly impressed." She continued.

Dawn found it a little odd considering that Maylene was fighting Lucario with her bare hands instead of using another Pokemon. Lucario jumped up in the air, avoiding a hard hit from Maylene and then tried to punch at her, but missed by hardly an inch. "By the way, a friend of yours stopped by and it gave me an idea for our battle. He is also in need of my badge so why not do a double battle?" She asked as she and Lucario stopped their sparing.

A second of confusion swept over Dawn until she realized that she asked Barry to stop by to watch her match. "Sorry I'm late!"

The voice caused Dawn to turn around, and when she did, her eyes were met by those of Barry's. His Hitmontop, Judo, was also by his side and looked ready for battle. "I got held up at the Pokemon Center by a few people. So, ready to battle?" He asked, looking at Dawn with confidence. She returned the look of confidence as she spoke. "You bet! But first," she said, turning to face Lucas, who was still holding the Pokemon egg. "Could I borrow one of your Pokemon for the match." She asked sweetly. "Sure, but which one. Staravia would have the type advantage." He suggested.

Dawn thought it over for a second. Flying type would be a little typical, so obviously Maylene would have prepared for that situation. "Actually...I was wanting to borrow Machoke."

"Be my guest."

Lucario looked at the three trainers as the one carrying the egg gave the girl a pokeball. Something told him that this would be an interesting battle, and hopefully one to bring back the fighting spirit in Maylene. Ever since she passed the Gym Leader's test, she had been acting differently, and this bothered him.

* * *

**Damion and Selene arrived just a little after the battle had begun.** On Maylene's side stood Lucario and a large mushroom Pokemon known as Breloom. The two stood like they were about to do a few rounds of hitting a punching bag and on Dawn's side stood a male that seemed to confuse Selene.

Xatu had predicted something about another male that looked like Damion who could have an influence on her destiny, but she had assumed that it was Damion because of the similarities that they shared. It was obvious that they shared a connection, but it was impossible to tell what kind of relationship they had with one another. She seemed to be enjoying his company, but it was certainly a different relation from that she shared with Lucas. "So what'd we miss?" Damion asked as he handed Lucas the clear egg case and sat next to him along with Selene.

"Not much," Lucas started. "Dawn and her friend Barry are doing a double battle against Maylene so they both can earn a badge. Really the battling hasn't begun, just all the introductions." Lucas informed in a blunt tone as he took the egg case and placed the red egg inside. His bluntness attracted Selene's attention. Had there been a slight hint of jealousy in his tone?

"Breloom, start off with Mach Punch while Lucario uses Aura Sphere!" Maylene ordered. Lucario bent down a bit before beginning to build a bright ball of aura at his side and when he fired it, Breloom jumped behind it and hit it hard with a strong Mach Punch.

"Judo use Detect!"

"Machoke, use Double Team!"

Judo's eyes glowed along with the outline of his body and two extra copies of Machoke appeared, making the powerful aura attack miss and land against a rock instead. Maylene smirked at this strategy. Simple, yet effective. "You know, I commend you both for not being typical and using flying type Pokemon. It takes a lot of smarts to be able to use Pokemon that only have an advantage over one of my Pokemon." She spoke with a smile. "But that doesn't mean that I'll be going easy on you. "Breloom use Sky Uppercut on-"

"Judo use Sucker Punch!" Barry ordered, interrupting her. Quick as a flash, Judo ran up and hit Breloom before she could even attack, but this attack made Dawn wince. Obviously Judo hit Breloom hard, and it was a good hit considering dark type moves are weak against fighting types, but the attack reminded her of when Team Galactic's Croagunk hit her with the attack and how badly it had hurt.

Breloom stumbled back a bit, and seemed to cower at the sight of the Hitmontop. This confused Maylene since Sucker Punch didn't cause the foe to flinch, but then she realized that this could only mean one thing: Razor Fang. That single item given to a Pokemon could occasionally cause the foe to flinch, but was this a case of pure luck, or pure ability? "Machoke, use Karate Chop on Lucario!"

The superpower Pokemon started to run at the aura Pokemon, who didn't seem to be moving even an inch. "Force Palm!" Lucario lifted his right paw and a flash of green light pulsed from it when Machoke struck him. Machoke was sent flying into a boulder while Lucario hardly moved a pebbles length. When Machoke stood up, his muscular body seemed to be covered in dancing sparks. His left arm covered a small wound on his right shoulder, and his eyes seemed to glow a vicious red.

Dawn recognized this to be his Guts ability, so now his power was doubled, but she just had to be careful since he was slowed drastically and there was a possibility that he would be unable to attack. "Maachoke!" He growled as he smashed his fists angrily into the boulder that he had landed on.

"Machoke calm down!" Dawn yelled as Machoke continued to beat up a few boulders. "Well, looks like his ability has set him on a rampage. Looks like I'm going to use this to my advantage. Breloom, knock Judo out of the way and then you and Lucario do a double Sky Uppercut on Machoke!" Maylene ordered, thinking that she would win this battle in only a matter of minutes. Breloom head butted Judo out of her way then she and Lucario began to run at the angry fighting Pokemon with fists that seemed to be distorting the air around them.

Machoke turned around and spat out an angry Flamethrower, surprising everyone in the gym. "I've never seen Machoke this angry before. Sure, I've seen his ability, but not like this..." Lucas commented, keeping a steady gaze on the inferno that seemed to envelope the two opposing Pokemon. "Breloom, Lucario, are you alright?" Maylene asked, as both her Pokemon tried to recover from the powerful blast.

Lucario let out a grunt that let Maylene know that both him and Breloom had hardly any strength left. "Use Mud-Slap Breloom!"

Breloom used one of her long red claw hands to scoop up a wad of the dirt, and then flung it in Machoke's eyes. Machoke began to wail a bit and scratch at the mud that blocked his sight. "Machoke, calm down and use Fire Punch!" Dawn ordered in a somewhat calm tone. "Judo, stand up and use Helping Hand!"

Judo hopped up on his hind legs and began to clap for Machoke. Machoke stopped moving around and began to concentrate, even though his mind still wanted him to lash out in a fury. Two blurred figures were in his line of sight, but he couldn't tell who was who, so, without any further questions, he hurled his fists at the smaller figure, landing a hit. The figure he had hit was Breloom, and with the combination of her weakness, his ability, and Judo using Helping Hand it was an instant knockout. "Lucario, avenge Breloom with Zen Headbutt!" Maylene ordered before recalling her Breloom.

A pink energy glowed across Lucario's forehead and with all the remaining force he could muster; he slammed into the raging Machoke. "Triple Kick, Judo!" Barry ordered as he and Dawn watched as Machoke struggled to even stand after the powerful attack.

Judo jumped up in the air and landed on the tip of his head then began to roll towards Lucario like a spinning top. Lucario tried to jump out of the way, but Judo's spiked tail clipped his back, making it hard to walk. "Machoke, use Karate Chop!"

"And Judo, use Mach Punch!"

Machoke regained his balance and Judo stopped spinning then began to run at Lucario with his round hand pulsing with a white light. "Lucario get out of there!" Maylene ordered frantically.

Lucario seemed to be frozen with fear. On his left, the raging Machoke, on his right, the jittery Hitmontop. Only one-way out of this: up. With as much strength as his skinny legs could muster, he jumped up into the air dodging the double attack, but to his advantage something else had happened.

Both of the fighting Pokemon had built up so much momentum in their attacks that they couldn't stop themselves in time, resulting in them attacking one another. Judo was knocked out cold, but somehow Machoke was still ready to fight. _"There's no way that Machoke should still be able to fight after that! I guess she was right...we were destined to loose to her...but how did she predict that?" _ Maylene wondered as she watched her Lucario nimbly use his paws to bounce off Machoke's head to land on the ground.

Dawn and Barry were also stunned that Machoke was still standing. No amount of logic could support the fact that he was still standing. "I-I," Dawn stuttered, trying to think of something to say. "It's up to you Dawn." Barry said in a comforting tone. After recalling his fallen Pokemon, Barry turned to Dawn. "Don't worry about anything. Right now you just have to guide Machoke since he doesn't exactly know what to do right now. His ability seems to have taken over most of his senses, and it's only a matter of seconds till Maylene orders Lucario to give the finishing blow! You've got this under control. I know you better than anyone else and I know you can win this!" Barry encouraged.

Dawn was still frozen a bit. Barry's mini-pep talk had returned a good deal of her confidence back, but what move to order? Fire Punch could work, but that along with Karate Chop would be too typical. Metronome was too risky, and Secret Power most likely wouldn't have good effect on Lucario. "Lucario use Bone Rush to finish him off!" Maylene ordered, seizing this opportunity to attack before Dawn.

A bright green bone appeared in Lucario's paws, and then he began to rapidly beat Machoke down into a fetal position. The paralysis finally took effect, making Machoke unable to move in the slightest.

But, with every harsh blow from the aura bone, something began to stir inside of Machoke. Rage...hate...anger...all words that had similar meanings, but different powers. When Machoke saw Lucario's foot just a few spaces ahead of him, he grabbed it and then slammed him against the rock that was well over thirty yards in front of him. He stood up with clenched fists and his jaw gritting. A blood red aura surrounded him, and loosing all his senses, he ran over to Lucario and smashed his fists into the aura Pokemon. Lucario was sent flying back into Maylene, pinning her against the wall. "Maylene are you alright?" Dawn and Barry asked at the same time, both having the same level of urgency in their tones.

Maylene grunted a bit as she tried to push her limp Pokemon off of her. Dawn and Barry began to run over to help her, but they were shoved aside by the last person that they would have expected: Selene, who had jumped from the bleachers to help the pinned leader.

"Maylene!" Selene said frantically as she helped pull off the aura Pokemon. "Y-yeah, but I'm gonna feel that in the morning." She replied as she stood up. Lucario snapped back from his complete daze and realized that he just hurt his master. He stood up and looked at the other girl who stood beside Maylene...her. What was the girl who had completely harassed his trainer doing there being nice? He could read her emotions, and right now she showed nothing but fear for her. Then again, there always seemed to be something familiar about the girl...

Lucario grunted at Maylene and the girl while his right paw was placed on a bruise that was left from Machoke –who had finally calmed down.

"You always did tend to overreact to someone getting hurt." Maylene commented, with a joking smile. Selene gave a light laugh before replying. "Pardon me for worrying about my friend."

This completely confused Dawn and Lucas. Only yesterday Selene was yelling at Maylene because she claimed that she was a weak trainer, but now here she was calling her 'friend'? What a strange situation this was.

"I guess I owe you two a badge though." Maylene said to Barry and Dawn after smiling at Selene's comment. "I'm so confused...you just don't even know." Dawn said in a puzzled tone. Maylene giggled at her. "Oh that's right...you saw our argument yesterday. Yeah, we argue a lot, but we're still friends." Maylene explained as Lucas and Damion hurried to join everyone. Selene gave her a small smile and nodded.

"Selene, have you really been arguing with the ever lovely Maylene?" Damion asked with a grin. Maylene only smiled at his comment. "I see Damion hasn't changed. Oh, and I'll meet you outside the gym because I can't seem to remember where I left those badges..."

* * *

**While Lucas, Dawn, and Barry were waiting outside the gym, Selene and Damion had stayed behind to talk with Maylene.** "Well, do you agree?" Selene asked in a hushed tone. "Yeah, there's no doubt about it." Maylene replied, her pink eyes shifting from the window back towards the girl in front of her. "I still don't understand though...why her of all people?"

"You act like I am the one who shapes destiny. She shapes her own destiny, not me. I can see the future with the aid of my Pokemon, but the future is very uncertain right now. I'll be leaving tonight with Damion because there are a few things we must take care of," at that last statement she noticed a tiny smirk on Maylene's face as she moved around a few papers on her cluttered desk. "Think what you like Maylene but it's nothing like that." Selene said with a bit of an edge.

Maylene giggled a bit before finding two of the Cobble Badges that looked like orange triangular brick patterns. "Oh don't lie Selene. You know we're going to have hot sweaty-"

"_Damion!_ Shut up! Just shut up! I cannot think when you are speaking such...n-nonsense!" Selene shouted, blushing angrily and due to pure embarrassment. Maylene began to bust out laughing as she walked out of the messy office area she had been in, searching for the badges.

Maylene watched as Damion and Selene continued to bicker, but that's when a bright flash caught her eye. She looked out the gym's door and noticed that the egg in the case that Dawn held was glowing. She watched as Dawn removed the glass cover and watched in amazement along with the two boys as the egg began to chip away, revealing a tiny red and yellow duck-salamander-like Pokemon.

It looked up at Dawn with confusion. Upon looking up, a black ring around his neck became visible, and the flame pattern on his chest too became visible. He blinked his eyes a few times before yawning his name. "Magby!" It yawned, just in time for Maylene and the other two to leave the gym.

_"Magby, the Live Coal Pokemon, also the pre-evolved form of Magmar. Its body temperature is around 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is healthy they will breath yellow flames."_ Barry's Pokedex read. "Wow, that was fast." Dawn commented, smiling at her new Pokemon. "Ma-Magby!" The baby Pokemon cheered, spitting a tiny yellow flame from his yellow mouth.

"Well, looks like you get two great honors: a new Pokemon, and the Cobble Badge." Maylene said, holding out two of the gym badges for both Dawn and Barry.

While the two accepted the gym badges, they remained unaware of a large Pokemon flying overhead. The white Pokemon flew overhead, gliding on her triangle shaped wings. When she spotted Dawn and Lucas –who were now beginning to walk away– she giggled as she flew lower. The new baby Pokemon seemed to be squirming in delight in Dawn's grasp. "See ya' later Barry." Dawn said, looking back at her friend. He smiled at her. "Yeah, see ya' later." He said, staying behind to ask the gym leader a few questions.

The Jubilee Pokemon decided to approach the two at a later time since they were now heading in the direction of Route 214. After about an hour of gliding on the gentle breezes, and watching the sun fall just below the horizon, the Pokemon following Dawn and Lucas landed in a tree, making sure to not drop the letter she was holding in her mouth. The two humans seemed to be setting up camp near a small pond that overlooked a deep valley.

All of their Pokemon were surrounding the area, all eating a good portion of Pokemon food. The smell of the Pokemon food wafted up to Togekiss' nose, and made her stomach grumble a bit. The sound of her stomach made her giggle, but then again, anything could make her giggle. "Did you hear something?" Dawn asked, looking around and reinforcing her grip on Magby. "Togekiss!" The Jubilee Pokemon called, going to land between Dawn and Lucas.

The two Electivire that were sitting below a tree stood up simultaneously, with their fists charging. "Togey!" Togekiss called in an alarmed tone as she flashed the note in her mouth. "It's okay Surge and Elekible." Lucas said in a calming tone before taking the note. "What does it say?" Dawn asked after giving Lucas a moment to read it.

"It's from Cynthia." He spoke in a slightly stunned tone. "Cynthia? That girl we met back in Eterna City?"

"Yeah, she says she wants us to meet up with her in Solaceon Town in eleven days for something important. It doesn't say what, but she says that after speaking with Professor Rowan he suggested that she get our help." He read. "And she says we're free to take Togekiss along with us and use her in any battle so long as we take care of her."

While he read this part, Togekiss began to giggle even more. Traveling with new people was so much fun! Especially if they occasionally acted lovey-dovey around one another. That would certainly be a treat!

The two looked at the Pokemon that would be traveling with them for a while, then back at one another. "Looks like we get a bunch of new Pokemon today." Lucas said smiling. "Yeah, it's great to have you along Togekiss." Dawn replied, patting the Pokemon's head, receiving another giggle.

Togekiss settled in next to Lucas' Staravia in a tree; Machoke, Monferno, and the two Electivire seemed to be keeping a silent guard; Numel and Stunky were curled up against one another, and Magby was resting on a blanket by the fire. Dawn and Lucas were still sitting next to one another, just watching the fire dance against the light breeze.

Lucas couldn't help but glance at Dawn every once in awhile. He liked the way her hair flowed freely from her hat and how her eyes seemed to glow against the fire. This was certainly going to be an interesting trip since now they had to make it to Pastoria City then back to Solaceon within three weeks now that they were going to meet up with Cynthia.

A light yawn escaped Dawn's mouth before she leaned back against the cool grass below her. "It's been awhile since we camped out." She said casually as Lucas lied against the grass. "Yeah, it's nice to see the stars isn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah," Dawn replied in a light tone. Sleep was beginning to try to take her over. She tried to stay awake, but all she was doing was fighting a loosing battle. "Maaaag," Magby yawned, stretching from his spot of the white blanket. He rubbed his eyes with his tiny paws before noticing Lucas and Dawn. A small smiled appeared on his lips, as he looked at all the Pokemon around him. He began to swish his flameless tail around in joy. He stood up and toddled over to where both Dawn and Lucas could see him. "Magby!" He called. His call had surprised Dawn enough to make her jump a bit, making Lucas laugh. "Hey Magby, go over to my bag against the tree," Lucas instructed.

Magby nodded his head and began to quietly walk over to Lucas' backpack. "Now unzip the top zipper and you should see a small red box." He continued as Magby used his three claws to unzip the backpack. He stuck his head inside the bag, bumping his lips against the red box that Lucas was talking about. He pulled out the box then toddled back over to Lucas, holding the box over his face.

"That's called a Magmarizer. I found it awhile back and it's only for your line of Pokemon. You can keep it since it'll help you with your fire moves." Lucas explained. Magby began to shudder with excitement, and soon, a white light began to take over his body. The four sentry Pokemon all looked in the direction of the glow just as Magby began to take a new form.

His height doubled and the yellow flame pattern grew larger and into two flames instead of the one; his previously flameless tail now had a bright flame on it; the black band that was around his next was now also located on his two legs; and everything about him seemed more powerful. "Magmar?" He said in a confused tone.

Dawn and Lucas both sat up and looked at the newly evolved Pokemon. In only a matter of hours he had evolved! How odd was this? "Machoke!" Machoke called, challenging the Spitfire Pokemon. "Machoke calm down, it's alright you know." Lucas said in a calm tone, but it didn't seem to help Machoke.

Magmar returned the challenging expression and seemed to welcome the thought of a battle. This would be his first battle, and victory was the only acceptable objective. He glanced at the red box that was still in his grip, then back at Machoke. He started to mock Machoke, making the Superpower Pokemon beyond furious. He began to run at Magmar, with his fists pulsing with electricity.

With a flick of the wrist, Magmar summoned a light green reflective surface around himself, blocking the attack. "Machoke calm down!" Lucas ordered. "Yeah, Magmar this isn't the time to fight!" Dawn followed, but both Pokemon seemed to ignore their trainers.

After a quick deep breath, a stream of flames began to billow out of Magmar's mouth in the direction of Machoke. Machoke crossed his arms in front of his body, blocking most of the flames, but singeing his arms. He wasn't burnt, but there seemed to be a glow in his eyes as the pink aura of Secret Power shrouded his body and he began to run at Magmar once again. When he struck Magmar, it sent him stumbling back, almost stepping on Dawn. "Magmar, Machoke, stop this instant!" Lucas shouted, waking the rest of the Pokemon that had been sleeping soundly through the battle.

Magmar was about to attack back, but when Lucas ordered him to stop, he did so, but Machoke was still furious. _"Why won't Machoke listen to me?"_ Lucas wondered, but that's when it hit him, Dawn was the last person to use him in battle. "Dawn, I think Machoke is only going to listen to you." Lucas suggested. "It's worth a shot," Dawn said in an unsure tone. "Machoke, stop!" She ordered.

Machoke glanced at Dawn and nodded then looked at the ground. How dare Magmar try to show him up?

A light whimper came from Togekiss in the tree. All this anger was making her feel sick to her stomach, and bringing the slightest tear to her eyes. "This is going to be a long week..." Dawn said, followed by a sigh.

* * *

**A week passed by and the same things kept happening.** Magmar and Machoke would continuously fight with one another and Dawn would have to calm Machoke while Lucas would have to calm Magmar. By the time that they arrived in Pastoria City they were beginning to consider that they would need to trade Pokemon since both Pokemon refused to listen to their original trainer.

They arrived at the Pokemon Center early in the day and headed straight for the counter. Numel, Stunky, and Togekiss were out of their Pokeballs and following the two trainers, when something caught Stunky's eye. A larger male Stunky was sitting on Nurse Joy's desk. His pelt was a darker purple than Stunky's, and his size was twice that of hers. "Stunk?" He called in a heavier tone than Dawn's Stunky. "Tank, be nice now. Welcome." Nurse Joy spoke, warning her Stunky first.

Tank looked down at the Pokemon below him. The Stunky sure was a cutie, but he could sense that Numel liked her. This could be fun if he pretended to flirt with Stunky! "Stunk-eh!" He called, jumping down from the desk, onto the wooden floor below him, next to Stunky. "Stuh? Stunky-ky?" He seemed to ask, receiving a blush from Stunky, and an angry growl from Numel. "Don." Numel snorted, jealously. Togekiss giggled knowing that Numel became easily jealous of any other male Pokemon near Stunky.

While the four Pokemon talked, Dawn and Lucas spoke with Nurse Joy about something, and she pointed towards an old machine in the corner of the center.

After about ten minutes, Dawn and Lucas had traded Pokemon, but something unexpected happened: two _more_ evolutions. Magmar evolved into the stronger Magmortar and Machoke evolved into the mighty Machamp. Both Pokemon seemed confused at their new forms, along with both of their trainers. Machamp flexed his new set of arms, smiling as he felt a whole new bout of strength flow through him.

Magmortar raised his new cannon-arms and seemed surprised when he realized that his claws would disappear when he tried to use the cannon part.

"Wow, I guess I forgot that when a Machoke is traded it will evolve, and if Magmar is holding the Magmarizer, he'll also evolve." Lucas said bashfully. "I think it's great. Machamp, we're certainly going to win this gym badge now!" Dawn spoke with confidence. Machamp clenched his four fists then gave Dawn a double thumbs-up, before glancing at Magmortar. Their little rivalry wasn't over yet by any means. If anything, it was furthered by their double evolution.

"Oh yeah, what Pokemon will you be using for the battle?" Lucas asked glancing away from his new Pokemon who was still fascinated by cannon arms. "I dunno. Machamp for sure, and maybe Elekible. It all depends on what kind of battle this will be." She answered.

* * *

**While all of this was happening, back in the Veilstone City headquarters for Team Galactic, something else of importance was going on.** "Commander Saturn sir! We've located that girl you were talking about, Dawn Berlitz?" One of the grunts said, addressing the commander who was seated in front of a large computer monitor. "And you've found out what I've asked?" He questioned, turning around in his chair to face the grunts. "Yes. Currently she's in Pastoria City challenging a gym and-"

"Saturn, really? Are you _still_ stalking that girl. I wish we all saw you what seem to see." A rather annoying female voice interrupted. Saturn glared at the approaching female known as Commander Mars. Oh how annoying she could be at some times. He adjusted his gray suit tie before standing up to further address her. When his sapphire blue eyes met her ruby red eyes, there seemed to be an angry silence. All the grunts in the room stopped typing on their computers and just watched as the two commanders glared at one another.

It was common grunt knowledge that Saturn and Mars had a distinct hatred for one another, and they would fight at any chance they could get as long as the leader wasn't around. "Get back to work!" Saturn shouted with a fierce expression. All the grunts seemed to jump, then furiously began to type again. "That's better." He grumbled.

A light laugh came from the redheaded commander. "Keep ordering everyone around Saturn. It won't help you forget anything."

Saturn clenched his fists. If she weren't a commander he would certainly hit her right now, even though she was a girl. "You're just upset that the boss favors me over both you and Jupiter even though I've been her for a far less amount of time." He said, trying to suppress his anger.

This comment seemed to make Mars go red with anger. Though, it was only because he was slightly correct. How could the boss favor the eighteen-year-old commander over them who were much older and more experienced? "Just answer me one question!" She demanded.

"And that would be...?" Saturn asked, cocking his eyebrow. "Why her?"

"That's simple really." He said, pausing to laugh a bit. "Let's just say that I'm making sure that she won't screw up any of my missions like she screwed up yours." He said with a smirk.

Mars rolled her eyes at him and gave him the look of 'you're a moron' –and to her, he was. She crossed her arms over her front before walking away. "Who says she won't just end up screwing up everything you plan?" She asked under her breath as she walked towards the elevator. "I'll laugh when all of this planning backfires." She said darkly as the doors to the elevator shut.

Saturn sighed once the other commander left his presence. He was beginning to get a headache. Her presence would normally do that to him. Sure, being the boss's favorite had its advantages, but it also meant that he had way more responsibilities and worse consequences if he failed a mission, and his recent failure nearly got him into unimaginable trouble. Getting the Griseous and Adamant Orb back would not be an easy task...

{Twenty-Eight Day's Until Destiny}

* * *

So yeah, this is chapter 10! A little sloppy in some parts, and a little good in some parts in my opinion. I finally have most of the Pokemon on Dawn's team like the team on my platinum game, which was a Infernape, Togekiss, Espeon, Machamp, Staraptor, and a Garchomp. Infernape is in play, Togekiss is still a possibility, Espeon will not be a part of her team, Machamp is now a part of her team, Staraptor is a part of Lucas' team, and Garchomp...Well, that one is also a possibility. I have the a plan to give Dawn a Gabite some time and have her Gabite have a crush on Cynthia's Garchomp because I think that would be cute. Lol. That just shows ya' how random I am with stuff.

Oh and I will be placing a countdown at the end of each chapter and I have planned Chapter eleven to be different from others. We'll follow Commander Saturn a few times because later on he will also play a major role, and I think I just gave myself an idea on how Dawn obtains her Gabite...lol


	11. Take A Looker At This

So, this chapter pretty much is filler till around the end. I like it around page...nine or so when things finally...nah, you have to read to get what I'm talking about :D

Chapter 11

Take A Looker At This!

[Chapter rating- PG13 for strong language in sections]

* * *

**Another exhausted sigh was released from the giant bipedal frog Pokemon as it glanced back at its master. **Ever since the red female had bothered him, he had been irritable and restless ever since. They were currently in his assigned room since they had finally gotten done with their combat training. "Toxicroak," the Pokemon said with a sigh as he sprawled himself out on the blue carpeted floor.

Toxicroak looked up at his master who had changed out of his formal attire a long time ago and finally changed into a plain white shirt and blue sweat pants. Toxicroak watched as Saturn's heavy breathing began to turn into an even pace. Toxicroak never understood his obsession with perfection when it came to combat training, and due to that obsession they had spent over three hours training on one thing. Saturn could be so peculiar at times.

"I was still off by half an inch. Ugh! At this rate I'll never fix anything!" Saturn complained, tossing the pillow off his bed as he sat up, resting his head in his palms. "Tox," Toxicroak croaked as he went to sit by his master. "Croak?" The Toxic Mouth Pokemon seemed to ask.

Saturn looked up at the toxic Pokemon with a pensive expression. "What?" He asked bitterly. "Toxi-Toxicroak." Toxicroak said, sounding as if he was trying to reason with the grumpy commander. "You're the one who wanted to finally take a break you know. But I guess you're right, we can't lounge around all day. We have important business to attend to." He said, more or less using Toxicroak as his conscience. Toxicroak sighed as Saturn stood up and walked over to the bathroom to get changed. This was already beginning to feel like a long day, why did he have to make it worse?

* * *

_**Back in Pastoria City, Dawn's gym battle had already come and gone with Machamp sealing her complete victory over Crasher Wake,**_ and now they were on their way to Hearthome City so from there they could challenge the gym and then make it to Solaceon Town just in time to meet up with Cynthia.

On their way through Route 208 a large battle was taking place between a bunch of Team Galactic grunts and a single Pokemon known as Gabite. At least ten Houndour and their evolved form Houndoom were surrounding him and prepping themselves to use the move Solarbeam on him. The Gabite looked around, but seeing that there was no way out he did a quick swirl causing a Sandstorm, knocking all the Pokemon out of his way.

Since Togekiss didn't have a Pokeball to be held in, she was the immediate choice for battle. They fought alongside the Gabite till all the grunts had no more Pokemon left to battle with and made a hasty retreat. Togekiss seemed to have a look of determination and seemed perfectly fighting fit after the battle, but Gabite was wounded pretty badly. During the battle he had sustained a burn and was now loosing health rapidly.

Dawn and Lucas had taken pity on the poor Cave Pokemon and healed him, and when they did that he refused to leave them. Dawn decided that he would make a great addition to her team so she decided to catch him. Now her team was: Monferno, Stunky, Elekible the Electivire, Machamp, and Gabite.

* * *

**"Is Gabite in place?"** The blue-haired man asked in a devious tone, looking at the giant computer monitor that lit up the dark room. "Yes. Now we can track all her movements." One of the green-haired males replied, glancing at the top left corner of the screen that displayed the microchip that was planted in Gabite's dorsal fin. "Good." He replied in a chuckle. "They seem to be heading for Hearthome City." The male spoke. "Report back to me when you get other news. Mars and I have been assigned to get back the Adamant Orb." The blue-haired man said with disgust in his tone. For this mission she would have to pose as his date, and this was something he was _not_ looking forward to.

* * *

**It took roughly seven days for Dawn and Lucas to reach Hearthome City and an extra day for the gym challenge.** It had been a very close match with the ghost type specialist Fantina, but the combination of Gabite and Elekible sealed her victory with a combination of Gabite's Scary Face to slow them and then a shot of Elekible's Discharge attack. Now with only three days to meet up with Cynthia, they would have to hurry their way to Solaceon Town.

And after three days of bad traveling weather, the two trainers finally arrived in the calm sunny town of Solaceon. Now the only question was: where were they supposed to meet up with Cynthia? "Togekiss! Kiss, Kiss!" The excited Togekiss whistled when they reached the middle of town. "Do you know where we're supposed to go Togekiss?" Dawn asked as she and Lucas re-read the letter from Cynthia. The Jubilee Pokemon nodded then began to race off. "Wait up Togekiss!" Both Dawn and Lucas shouted as they began to hurry after the Pokemon.

Togekiss lead them west of town towards the Solaceon Ruins, and standing beside one of the many tall pillars stood Cynthia. Togekiss immediately whistled her welcome before flying over to her trainer and wrapped her wings around her like a hug. "Good to see you again Togekiss." Cynthia said with a smile once her Pokemon stopped hugging her. "And it's good to see you two as well. Doing good I presume?" The blonde trainer inquired, as the two out of breath trainers approached her.

"Y-you could say that." Dawn answered, once she steadied her breathing. "I see Togekiss has given you the runaround. I apologize on her behalf, but I guess I should explain why I asked you two to come here in the first place. Originally I planned to give you something, but now it has turned into a different matter all together." She explained, her tone ending in a hushed whisper. "I've asked a friend to meet us here and when he gets here be ready for battle. Team Galactic is in the area."

Lucas seemed a little shocked at the thought of having to battle so soon, especially since it certainly didn't seem like Team Galactic was in the area. However, Dawn seemed to almost welcome the thought of a challenge. She hadn't battled since her double battle with Fantina since Lucas had insisted on battling because he was worried about Turtwig since it was long past due for the little fellow to evolve. Although, in the end Turtwig was still Turtwig.

A large shadow of what looked like a bird or dragon Pokemon began to draw closer towards the three and then when the shadow was only a few yards from them, a person jumped down from their ride. He looked like an older man; he wore a brown trench coat, with mostly red-brown formal looking under clothes. His landing was less than perfect since he landed on his rear, but he seemed to be laughing about it as he stood up.

"Thanks for sending Garchomp to get me." He said, stretching his back a bit before noticing the two younger trainers. "Are they...?" He inquired. "Yes," Cynthia answered quietly as her Pokemon swooped down to land beside her. Obviously Garchomp was the evolved form of Gabite, but Garchomp almost made Gabite look cuddly. The Mach Pokemon seemed to be looking around restlessly with her large yellow eyes, sensing her trainer's tension. While she was carrying the man she noticed a few of those pesky Galactic grunts hanging around the area, so this had to be the source of all this tension.

"Dawn, Lucas, this is Looker. He works for the international police and currently he is helping me investigate some of Team Galactic's doings. Earlier this week they had made an attempt to steal the Adamant Orb back but with some quick thinking of the town's trainers they failed, but I fear that they are now going to attempt to find its new location." Cynthia said, quickly introducing everyone and then bringing them up to speed with all the events.

Togekiss let out a light grunt, signaling to Cynthia that she sensed movement around them. Garchomp got into a battle stance while Dawn and Lucas reached for a few of their Pokeballs. "Garchomp, use Flamethrower!" Cynthia ordered, directing Garchomp towards the bushes that lined the ruins.

Bright hot flames billowed out of Garchomp's mouth, just barely missing two not so hidden grunts. "They've spotted us! Get em'!" One of the higher up grunts ordered. Grunts began to flood the area as Dawn, Lucas, and Looker all released their Pokemon. Dawn sent out Monferno and Gabite, Lucas sent out Turtwig, Magmortar; Looker sent out a single Croagunk, and Cynthia sent out a third Pokemon: Milotic.

Many Stunky, Houndoom, Houndour, Glameow, Croagunk, Bronzong, Murkrow, and a few Honchkrow began to flood the ruins, all glaring at the defending trainers. "Double Attract!" Cynthia ordered. Milotic, using her serpent-like body, wrapped herself in a light grip around Garchomp then used her fanned out tail to block her face. Garchomp gave a low growl as Milotic began to wave her tail in front of her face and purr a bit. The double attract worked on more than half of the Pokemon since most were male, but the remaining female Pokemon weren't impressed. "Glameow Squad-A, use Shock Wave on the Milotic, Croagunk Squad-D, use Ice Punch on Garchomp!" One of the grunts ordered.

A group of four Glameow began to glow with a blue light and a group of two Croagunk started running at Garchomp with fists of ice. Lucas and Looker tried to intervene but another wave of female Pokemon attracted their attention and Monferno was busy along with Togekiss. Gabite noticed that Garchomp and Milotic were in danger, so he had to do something! "Gaaaaaaab!" He roared at the Croagunk before blocking the electrical attack. The two Croagunk were scared by Gabite's Roar, and due to him being part ground type, the electricity barely tickled him. Milotic purred her thanks, and Garchomp seemed unimpressed.

This frustrated Gabite. Oh well, battling was really important right now. "Togekiss, Garchomp!"

"Gabite, Monferno!"

"And Magmortar!"

"Flamethrower!" All three trainers ordered.

The five Pokemon stood back-to-back then they all released a strong Flamethrower. Garchomp, Gabite, and Togekiss combined their Flamethrowers to create one powerful blast, and Monferno and Magmortar did just the same. "Now Turtwig, use Razor Leaf!" Lucas ordered.

The tiny grass turtle began to wave the leaf on his head around, sending razor sharp leafs everywhere. He stopped mid-attack due to a while light cloaking him. He was beginning to evolve, but this was a different kind of evolution, and Looker could sense this. Obviously Turtwig had been forcing himself to not evolve, but now all the energy had built up so much that he was about to undergo a double evolution.

"Croagunk, go protect Turtwig while he evolves!" Looker ordered. The larger than normal Croagunk nimbly jumped through the battlefield over to the evolving Turtwig in a fraction of a second.

A hefty Poison Jab or Wake-Up Slap was dealt to any Pokemon that dared to get close. A Murkrow that had ridden the effects of Attract began to spiral towards Croagunk with his Drill Peck attack, but Croagunk jumped up, grabbed the birds throat then began to slap him silly.

Turtwig began to take the shape of a Grotle, but before the light could fade, it began to glow brighter and he grew even bigger. A giant tree and spikes sprouted from his now tripled in size back, he looked even more like a turtle, but with spikes coming out from the side of his head. "Torterra!" He howled once he finished evolving. Croagunk snickered his victory and hopped onto Torterra's back, then into the tree. He had enough battling for the moment. "Alright Torterra!" Lucas cheered.

A group of Bronzor began to surround Dawn, and then another group was making sure that no one could get to them. Payback was immanent. "Bron," they said in an ominous tone as they began to charge their electricity. "Moonfernap!" Came the battle call of Monferno as he hurried to protect Dawn. A quick Mach Punch knocked the barricade of Bronzor away then he proceeded to rapidly punch all the Bronzor even though he got shocked a few times.

"Mon," he huffed once all the Bronzor had fainted. "Great job Monferno!" Dawn cheered. He gave her a toothy grin and then just like Torterra, he too began to evolve. He grew roughly two feet taller, his tail lost its flame but now billowed from the top of his head; protective pads of gold appeared on his hands, fists, knees, shoulders, and upper torso. "Infernape!" He howled, waving his blue fists around in a punching manner.

The battle continued for at least another twenty minutes. Grunt after grunt, Pokemon after Pokemon. It seemed like it would never end. Finally everything seemed to be over. Torterra plopped on the ground with a tremendous 'thump' and Infernape and Gabite fell over. Magmortar was busy threatening the final grunts along with Cynthia's Pokemon. Once they were gone everyone gave a huge sigh. "Forget contests and gym battles! That had to be the toughest battle yet!" Dawn said, trying to make light of the situation. "Gaahchb!" Cynthia's Garchomp wailed. "Thank you Garchomp, Milotic, and Togekiss. Take a long rest." Cynthia thanked as she recalled her badly injured partners.

"Hooooach-Crow!" A large bird Pokemon called before swiftly using Drill Peck on all the remaining Pokemon. All the Pokemon fainted and now they were open targets. Obviously they had overlooked one remaining grunt. "Take that!" He yelled as his Honchkrow continued his attacks. "Give up now!" He demanded.

Looker smirked, confusing the grunt. "Croagunk use Cross Chop!"

The fighting frog leaped out of the fainted Torterra's tree and used Cross Chop on the Big Boss Pokemon's head. Croagunk began to laugh at the grunt's failed attempt at taking back the situation, but what he didn't notice was the approaching Pokemon.

A larger Pokemon that looked a lot like Stunky was running at amazing speed towards Croagunk, and without so much as a glance at the enemy, she slashed him extremely hard on the back causing him to instantly fight. A feminine snicker could now be heard approaching everyone.

"I must hand it to you. You certainly put up a good fight, but not good enough. My name is Jupiter. Remember it well because it's going to be the last thing you ever remember!" The approaching female threatened.

She was a very tall female; her hair, eyes, and even her lipstick was purple; the large '**G**' on her outfit made it evident that she was a part of Team Galactic; and since she actually had a name she was most likely to be a commander. "Skuntank let's put them in their pathetic place! Use-"

"Alright Snorlax it's Crunch time!" Somebody interrupted, which surprised the purple commander. A very large blue-green and white Pokemon suddenly came barreling into the ruins, smashing into the Skuntank. "Snoooorlax!" The Pokemon thundered, smashing his belly into the purple skunk. "Awesome!" The Pokemon's trainer complimented as he came into view along with another figure. "Skuntank, use Poison Gas!" Jupiter ordered.

Skuntank quickly turned around and released a toxic haze from her tail, but when it hit Snorlax it didn't do anything. Snorlax sniffed the air then looked around. His belly was beginning to rumble and his trainer said it was crunch time! How rude of him to lie.

When Dawn noticed who the trainer was, she couldn't help but smile. Just the person who could help! None other than Barry, but with Barry was another familiar face: Damion. "Okay fine then, don't get poisoned. Use Faint Attack!" Jupiter ordered, getting frustrated that her attacks weren't working. "Arcanine, use Roar!" Damion ordered, releasing the large orange, black, and white canine.

Arcanine proceeded to bare his sharp fangs at the oncoming skunk Pokemon then let out a loud bark. Skuntank's eyes widened then she turned tail and ran back behind Jupiter. "Okay Snorlax, use Belly Drum then take a Rest!"

Snorlax then began to pound on his stomach with his tiny fists, leaving red marks the size of his hands. Once he was powered up he then plopped belly-first on the ground, fast asleep. "Now use Sleep Talk!" Barry ordered for a final. His strategy was simple: use Belly Drum to max his attack then use Rest to restore health, and then use Sleep Talk till Snorlax woke up.

And just like that Jupiter was defeated. Skuntank didn't stand a chance against Snorlax's Body Slam attack.

"You won this little battle but mark my word! Mess with Team Galactic's affairs ever again and I'll make you regret everything!" She threatened before tossing a pokeball that contained a large hawk Pokemon that flew up then picked her up.

"Skarmory, chase after her and make sure she doesn't come back!" Damion ordered, releasing the two Armor Pokemon. They both gave harsh screeches before flying off at lightning speed in pursuit of the fleeing commander. "So is everyone alright?" Damion asked once he was sure that his Skarmory would be able to handle the situation. Everyone nodded then gave their thanks to the two trainers. "Yeah, but great timing Barry." Dawn said with a smile.

Barry returned the smile, but was more or less of a sheepish grin. "Well don't thank me. Thank Damion over here. I was just passing through when he challenged me to a battle but halfway through he said we should go to the ruins because it seemed necessary..."

He continued to explain the story for a good few minutes before he finally wrapped everything up. Cynthia and Looker gave their thanks to the trainers before informing them that they needed to head off in search of Team Galactic.

* * *

**The grunt took in a deep breath and tugged at her dyed sea foam-green hair as she continued her way down the darkened hall. **He was going to be pissed. So very pissed at this. "I just had to loose rock-paper-scissors!" She grumbled once she stopped in front of a door with a blue 'S' on it. "Uh...Commander Saturn sir," she started nervously, knocking lightly on the door. "Oh well, he's not here so I'll just go!" She decided after no more than a few seconds of no answer.

Just as she took a step away, the door opened. "What is it?" The commander asked in a grouchy tone. When the grunt turned around she took notice of his messy blue hair. To add to everything she just I_had_/I to awaken him! "Sir, there is bad news regarding the girls Gabite." She started. Oh how pissed he will be...

He cocked an eyebrow. "Go on." The grunt took another breath before continuing. "The recent attack on her at the Solaceon Ruins caused the chip in Gabite's dorsal fin to be bitten out. Now we have no way of knowing where she's at." She said, ending in a tone that was more or less a squeak.

She prepped herself to duck from him lashing out at her, but to her surprise, he was chuckling. "No worries. I already know her next destination, and with that we should be able to execute the final plan."

"A-are you sure sir?" She asked, dumbfounded. "Let's just say," he said turning around. "A little birdie told me."

The grunt just stood there, still dumbfounded. "He's so weird..."

* * *

**In the end, Damion ended up staying in Solaceon Town so he could await the return of his Skarmory. **Barry however was invited to go along with Dawn and Lucas to Canalave City. His agreeing statement was, "Only if you two promise to not make-out the whole time!" This comment had caused Dawn and Lucas to blush considerably, making Barry's grin wider.

He had finally come to the conclusion that if he really liked Dawn he would let her be happy and be with Lucas –if either of them would ever make a move! He decided that there were other fish in the vast sea of life, and even though none of them would compare to Dawn, she had to be happy because in the end that was all that really mattered.

The long seventeen-day journey to Canalave City seemed even longer due to Barry's insistent plan to make Dawn and Lucas blush as may times as he could. Knowing Dawn like he did he knew it wouldn't take much to make her blush, and he even found that Lucas blushed easily too.

Dawn and Lucas never admitted to it, but Barry swore that once he saw them kissing by the lake between Hearthome City and Oreburgh City. They constantly told him that they were just talking and the angle he was at most likely made it look that way, but when they had said 'most likely' he came back with "Most likely eh? So that still means that there is a chance that it happened?" It only made Dawn blush out of anger then storm away.

Barry even stuck around for her gym battle so he could also challenge the gym leader Byron the next day. Using her team of Infernape, Machamp, and Gabite the battle was won without a heavy fight.

On their way back to the Pokemon Center, Lucas suggested that they stop by the library because he said that he had a friend who worked there and wanted to say 'hi'. When the trio entered the library and made it to the floor that Lucas's friend was supposed to be working on, they found someone else instead.

"Professor Rowan?" Lucas asked. "Ah, Lucas, Dawn, and even Barry? Well, I guess I won't have to be hunting you three down after all. Come, we need to talk." He beckoned, confusing the three trainers.

The four sat down at one of the tables and when Professor Rowan was sure that nobody was around to be paying attention he began to explain why he needed them. "You see, we have a serious problem on our hands. There has been talk of Team Galactic threatening to use a bomb on major cities and the three major lakes. They must be stopped, but I haven't a clue as to what to do." He began, surprising the three with the talk of bombs.

"There's a way we can stop them you know. It may not be preferable, but it will be successful." A voice from behind offered.

Dawn, Lucas, Barry, and Professor Rowan looked up from the table and noticed Selene. Her pale green eyes seemed to show no emotion as she approached them silently. "Hey Selene. It's been awhile." Lucas started in an uncomfortable tone. "Yes, it has, but I know that you are talking about Team Galactic and I know of a way to stop them. It's a bit of a long process, but it will work." She said glancing between Dawn and Lucas.

"Well young lady, you have our attention." Professor Rowan stated. "Thank you. As you all know there are four commanders in Team Galactic, Mars, Jupiter, Charon, and Saturn. Mars and Jupiter are both middle-aged adults, Charon is a senior, but Saturn is the youngest. I believe that he is about seventeen in age so he's bound to feel a little out of place. If we can get someone to get close to him and learn all of Team Galactic's secrets then we should be able to take them out from there.

"As stated before, Saturn is a male so we need a female to get close to him since that would work easiest. That's where Dawn comes in." She explained.

"No! We're not putting Dawn in any danger like that!" Lucas and Barry shouted simultaneously. Dawn jumped a bit at their outburst, but didn't say anything. Selene's idea did seem like a good one, but there were a few drawbacks. What if Saturn or the other commanders saw right through their plan and then just took her as a hostage? Or what if she didn't learn anything at all? "I never once said that you have to go through with this. I just wanted to tell you of my plan, and if you do decide to go through with this there are ways we can make sure that she will be out of harms way. My two Pokemon Xatu and Gardevoir. I'll leave you to consider it." She finished as she began to take her leave. Her Xatu coat tails flowed behind her as she descended down the stairs without another word.

"Well, she was certainly an interesting young lady to say the least. Her idea does seem to have its perks and downfalls, and they seem to even each other out. I don't think that this is my decision to make so I'll leave you three to decide."

With that, Professor Rowan left them to decide. An unsettling silence quickly followed as they began to think over everything.

Dawn thought over everything once more, and then decided to give her answer. "I think I should do it." She spoke with mild confidence. "I mean it's really the only option we have right now. I don't want to do this because of a few minor things, but I can't let those get in the way of possibly bringing down Team Galactic! We've already seen what they can do through our few encounters. Now there is talk of using bombs? We can't stand around!"

"Dawn, please, listen to what you just said. If you're scared about doing this then don't. We don't want you to get hurt." Barry said, trying to reason. Dawn looked at him and tried to sound confident –which was getting difficult as the fears began to weigh down on her– as she spoke. "I trust Selene enough. Even if you don't want me to go through with this, I'm going to. I don't need someone looking after me every second of the day like some little kid."

With a heavy sigh Lucas agreed. "Let's go find Selene."

When the three headed down the flight of stairs to the second floor they found Selene standing with someone, Damion. Once again he had her in a giggling fit and blushing. After looking up for a slight second, Damion noticed Dawn and smiled. "Greetings Dawn! I trust you are well?" He asked, making Selene visually stiffen.

Oh how she hated it when people saw her giggling and what not. It didn't contrast well with her 'leave-me-alone' attitude. "Yes, and Selene, I thought over your idea and I'll do it."

"Good," Selene said once she finally broke free of her giggling fit. "Well, we need to get a few things ready but for right now I must speak with Lucas alone." She said in a tone that was more of a command. "We'll meet you outside. Right now, how about I introduce you to Arcanine since you'll need his assistance for all of this." Damion said, beckoning Dawn and Barry to follow him.

Once they had left the floor, Selene returned her green gaze to Lucas. "There is something you must do or else everything will have a higher chance of failing." She began to explain, in a hushed tone. Lucas gave her a confused look. "You remember back at the contest when I said that there were things I couldn't tell you?"

He nodded.

"Well, it's time I tell you a few of those things. My Pokemon Gardevoir and Xatu can see the future as I'm sure you already know; Gardevoir can use telepathy to communicate with me; she knew this would happen but right now there are many things that could happen. We have determined that you have to do one thing: express your feelings for Dawn."

Lucas's eyes widened and his heart began to race. He knew he couldn't deny his strong feelings for her, but saying something was one thing, going through with it was another. Though, he had the feeling that sooner or later he would tell Dawn, but he never thought it would be under these circumstances...

Everything was almost ready. Selene informed everyone that Saturn was currently at Lake Valor. Damion's Arcanine had a special move known as Teleport that would allow him to get there easily, but they would be just outside of the lakes perimeter and he would use ExtremeSpeed from there to get past all of the grunts that would be keeping guard. Now they were just getting themselves ready at the Pokemon Center.

The sun was resting on the west horizon but Dawn and Lucas were standing inside one of the guest rooms and Dawn was busy sifting through some of her items.

_"Okay, I have to say something."_

"Do you think this was the right decision?" Dawn asked, looking away from her bag at Lucas with worried eyes. He managed to say 'sure', but his voice cracked a bit due to nervousness. "I don't know though, it's kinda unnerving."

_ "It's now or never, because I know I won't see her for awhile." _

Dawn then noticed that Lucas seemed to be trying to say something. "I'm sorry, I've been blabbering on about nothing," she apologized. The stress then hit Dawn like a tidal wave. This had so much potential to be dangerous and here she was practically going in headfirst basically throwing caution to the wind!

She moved her hands to her face and sighed. Lucas then took this opportunity to comfort her. Dawn seemed to relax once in his embrace. She loved his hugs. The warmth; the light smell of cologne that seemed to be a little heavier than normal; and just the fact that he had his arms around her was enough to make her fears melt away.

Breathing in the heavy scent of his cologne she snuggled in closer to him. Normally the smell of his cologne would be so light that she would hardly notice it, but now it was very pronounced though nowhere near intoxicating. "Your cologne is a little heavy," she mumbled trying to distract herself. "Y-yeah, mishap with the, uh, bottle." He replied, resting his head on top of her head. "I like it," Dawn said, blushing and smiling a bit.

Lucas blushed a bit too. _"It's now or never!" _

When Dawn pulled away she tried to avert her gaze, but she could only look at Lucas. She smiled nervously and tried to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. When she let her hand fall, Lucas caught her hand with his then grabbed the other. "Do you think I'm making the right decision?" She again asked. "I mean," but before she could finish, something happened that made her mind completely spin.

Without so much as another thought of doubt, Lucas kissed her. When he didn't feel Dawn even slightly return the kiss he began to pull away with shame clouding his thoughts, but just before he could create even a small gap between them, Dawn practically leaped at him, returning the kiss.

Just before they could even think of deepening the kiss, they heard a rapid knock on the door. "Hurry up Dawn. That girl is getting impatient." Barry urged, forgetting Selene's name.

"J-just a minute!" Dawn and Lucas both said at the same time after quickly separating. There was hardly a pause. "Oh quite making-out already already! She's already yelled at me two times now!"

Dawn sighed. It was pointless to argue with him. She grabbed her backpack and the two Pokeballs that were sitting beside it. She handed him the two, one being a Luxury Ball and the other a standard Pokeball. "I'm only bringing Infernape, Stunky, and Gabite with me. C-could you take care of Machamp and Elekible?" She asked, trying to keep her gaze from Lucas.

He smiled and kissed her forehead as he took the Pokeballs. "Sure,"

"Finally!" Damion said in a joking as Dawn and Lucas walked out of the Pokemon Center. "Sorry, some things we had to sort out." Dawn said, blushing slightly. "Now that you're here, stand right in front of Gardevoir." Selene ordered, releasing the psychic Pokemon. Dawn did as ordered and stood in front of the tall green and white Pokemon.

Gardevoir closed her eyes and seemed to be humming. A slight nausea began to creep its way over Dawn, and she began to feel faint. Then when Gardevoir stopped humming all of that went away. "I'm sorry for the nausea effect, but that's only because you're not a Pokemon and she used a move known as Destiny Bond on you. Normally when Destiny Bond is in effect it will take out the opponent along with the Pokemon, but when used on a human she is now basically a part of you. Everything you feel, she will feel. Everything you see, she can see if she chooses. This is the way we will protect you. If you are in any danger, Gardevoir will teleport to you and rescue you."

"Yup, and you'll need to get a move on missy. You don't want to miss your only chance to find Saturn." Damion spoke, before releasing the large canine. The Pokemon gave his call then wagged his fluffy tail. He already knew what he had to do.

Once Dawn had boarded the fire Pokemon's back through the help of Lucas, he howled a bit. The chase was on!

"Before you go, take these with you. I know it's dangerous in the hands of Team Galactic, but the Adamant Orb was put into my care, and now you must take it as an offering to Saturn. Read the letter when you are accepted." Selene said, handing Dawn what looked to be a sphere wrapped in a thick blue cloth and a folded letter. After placing the two items in her backpack, she turned back to Barry and Lucas.

"Don't worry you two. I'll be back. This won't take long." Dawn said with false hope. "Promise?" Lucas asked, with a hint of sadness mixed with joy in his tone. "You bet." She replied, before Arcanine used Teleport to leave the area.

A light whimper came from Gardevoir. She knew that inside Dawn was terrified.

Grief struck Lucas. His heart pained him to see her leave. And for what? To basically save Sinnoh, and who knows, maybe the world even. "I sure hope you keep that promise..." Lucas mumbled, to where only he could hear himself.

* * *

**A few grunts were standing guard.** Not much had happened. Not even a passerby to give them trouble. The females and a few males were standing in a circle, gossiping about the commanders, when a bright light illuminated the area. "What the?" Someone shouted. A large Arcanine with somebody riding his back appeared, and before any of the grunts could react, she called out another order. "ExtremeSpeed!"

Just like that, she was gone, racing off towards the lake.

_"Don't worry Lucas, I'll keep that promise. I'll return unharmed. I promise._"

"Saturn!" Dawn yelled once they reached the lakefront. A familiar tall man was standing beside the waters edge with a tall frog Pokemon she recognized to be Toxicroak. When he turned to see who was challenging him, Dawn recognized him as the man who had stopped the grunts back in Veilstone City. "Well, well, well, I was wondering when someone was going to try to stop me. Too bad dear, but you're out of luck. I've already acquired the lake Pokemon and there's nothing you can do about it."

Dawn smirked. "Arcanine, attack with Flamethrower!" She ordered, once she hopped off the Pokemon's back. The toxic Pokemon blocked the attack then proceeded to retaliate with Gunk Shot. A sinister chuckle came from the commanders Pokemon. Finally, a battle worth fighting. "If you wanted a battle I think you've found it. Bring it on missy."

* * *

**A/N:: Well, I guess it's time to say a few things. I'm sorry this chapter was rather sloppy, and took so long, but a lot has been happening and so yeah. Not a lot of time to work on it. But yup. A TON of foreshadowing going on, but I'll leave that up to you to figure out. Just to let you know, the romance is about to kick it up a mega notch though! (Maybe even a little 'dirty'.) Who knows, I'm still brainstorming for the next chapter :D**

**Till later, **

**~Cynthia  
**


	12. Commander Rhea

Okay, I suck at describing Dawn's formal dress so here's a link to what I think it looks like. .

Chapter 12

Commander Rhea

[Chapter rating- PG13]

* * *

**Dawn smirked at her easy victory over the Team Galactic commander. **The large fire canine stood beside her and gave a proud howl. "Will you listen to what I have to say now?" Dawn asked, in a calm tone. The commander grimaced as he nodded. "What is it you want?" He asked.

"I want to join Team Galactic."

He chucked at her simple request. "You think Team Galactic just lets anyone join?" He asked, receiving a simple shrug from Dawn. "I figured you would say that. I brought something that might interest you." She replied as she removed her backpack and pulled out the pale blue orb that had previously been covered with the blue cloth.

Saturn's eyes seemed to glow at the sight of the orb that had eluded his grasp for nearly a month. "H-how?" He stammered.

"I stole it from the girl who was keeping it safe. I also figured you wouldn't let me join you without a little bribery." She spoke in a mischievous tone. "And I know you can't achieve your goals without me."

Saturn began to think everything over. Sure she was a formidable opponent, so there's no doubt that she would make a tough grunt, but considering that she was this tough she would shoot up the rankings in no time till she earned the title of Commander... "Sorry, but I distinctly remember you from one of the other Commander's reports. You're the reason her mission failed at the Valley Windworks. Granted, it was humorous to see her fail against children." He said with a small smile.

His 'children' comment made Dawn slightly angry. "I'll have you know that I am almost sixteen! I am nothing like a child!" This bold statement made Saturn chuckle. He found it funny that she seemed to overreact when he called her a child. This could prove to be useful later on.

"How do I know you're not just playing double agent here?" He asked, more or less just dragging out their conversation due to boredom. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason he already knew that he wanted her in Team Galactic. He just dismissed it at the fact that they had just met and no arguments had ever taken place to make him hate her like he hated the three other commanders. "How do you know that I'm not playing triple-agent? They my think I'm helping them, but in actuality I am giving them false information keeping them out of Team Galactic's affairs."

Her reply intrigued him. She certainly was smart to say the least. "But who's 'them'?" He asked. This one caught Dawn off guard by a bit. She silently cursed at herself for not thinking ahead of things he might ask. "The girl who I took the Adamant Orb from. She didn't notice me take it so that's why I say I stole it, but she wanted me to get some secrets inside of Team Galactic, but in actuality it was just a good cover to join you." She said, scrambling to think of what to say.

Her thoughts went straight to Lucas. He probably would have been able to think of something. "I still don't believe you." Saturn said, keeping his cold blue gaze on the girl in front of him.

"If I was trying to steal information from you to use against you do you really think I would tell you what I did?" Dawn asked with a bit of sass in her tone. Saturn chuckled a bit. "Well, you do provide a good story, but I don't think you'll be accepted right away."

"Somehow I doubt that it will take a lot for me to join."

"Confident are we? You realize that you won't be keeping your actual name right? As a commander your name had to be either a planet or a moon."

"Fine with me."

Saturn chuckled again. "Well then, I guess I approve so you'll be coming with me back to headquarters. But mark my word, any signs of you playing double agent, and I'll make you regret the day you ever met me. Got that?" He asked, ending in a quite, dark tone. Dawn simply smiled and nodded. "Perfectly clear." She knew better than to show any fear around him since that would be a dead giveaway that she was lying to him. "Do you have any spare room on your team for an extra Pokemon?" Saturn asked, turning away from Dawn.

Dawn nodded a yes. "Think fast." He said before tossing Dawn a green and white Pokeball. "Your first test courtesy of Golbat. That Golbat will fly you back to base with me, but I warn you, Golbat tends to not listen." Saturn said with a smirk.

"Gee thanks," Dawn said followed by a sigh as she released the large bat Pokemon. At first sight of the Pokemon Dawn cringed a bit. He had a look of anger on his face and his large blue wings were wrapped around his frame, shielding his large fangs. "Well, let's get a move on. Recall your Arcanine and we'll leave." Saturn stated as he released a large black crow Pokemon.

Golbat looked up at Dawn and gave her an unnoticed look of confusion. From what he could see, she was under the effect of a Pokemon move. How peculiar.

* * *

**When they arrived at their destination, Dawn realized that they were actually in Veilstone City.** After letting go of Golbat's foot, the bat Pokemon proceeded to land on her shoulder. Even though they had only been together for a short hour, he was already beginning to like her. "Thanks Golbat." Dawn said, patting the Pokemon's side. "Oh save the mushy stuff for later. We have business to take care of." Saturn said as he landed right beside her and recalled the Big Boss Pokemon known as Honchkrow that flew above.

He already anticipated a slight argument from the leader, but inside he knew that Dawn would most likely be able to join since, after all, she beat him. A feat that of which is not common.

* * *

**Lucas sighed and rested his head in his palms.** It had been almost two days, and no other word from Gardevoir on how Dawn was. "Dude, are you alright?" Barry asked as he entered the main lobby of the Pokemon Center where Lucas was sitting. "Yeah, I'm just worried as usual." Lucas answered. "Lucas, Barry! We have work of Dawn, and now we are requiring your assistance for her first mission!" Selene said in a winded tone as she ran into the Pokemon Center. "What's up?" Barry asked before Lucas could stand up.

"Remember that envelope I gave her? Well, it contained two invitations to Janette and William Vanderbilt's estate for a party. Janette is the current owner of the Griseous Orb and Team Galactic is in search for it. It was another offering to them to let her join. They'll be going tonight actually and I suspect that Dawn will be posing as Saturn's date, but she will be going by my name since they were originally invitations for me and Damion. Lucas, I want you to keep an eye on her."

* * *

**Saturn blinked in confusion. Did that really just happen? **Surly this was all just one crazed dream! Oh no, it was real all right. "Well done Dawn. I commend you for your effort. I don't remember the last time I was defeated. Then again, normally I don't battle because I find it barbaric." The Team Galactic leader Cyrus commended.

The three commanders Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn stood on the sidelines, practically having their jaws dropped. Saturn quickly regained his cocky composure and began to sass the other commanders. "And you didn't believe me when I said she was good." He said with a chuckle. "I didn't doubt that she was good considering she practically beat all of my assigned grunts, but I didn't think she would be able to beat Master Cyrus only using her Stunky and Infernape." Jupiter commented, trying to remain calm.

Oh how she found Saturn to be very annoying; his cocky attitude, that smirk of his, everything about him was arrogant and annoying! How on Earth was he the boss's favorite?

"Saturn, have the grunts get her apparel ready and I guess you'll be needing a new name since as far as I am aware of, there isn't a planet or moon named Dawn. I'm not positive that you are ready to be a solo commander, so I am placing you under the guidance of Saturn. I think the name Rhea should subdue." Cyrus said, looking at Dawn with his icy blue eyes from across the indoor battlefield.

Saturn nodded a bit, and for some reason, he was actually glad to be Dawn's mentor. "If I may say something Cyrus sir." Dawn spoke. "Go on."

"Along with the Adamant Orb, I also know the location of the Griseous Orb. I stole the invitations from a girl named Selene and I know for a fact that the lady Janette Vanderbilt is currently the owner of said orb. The invitations were to a party that she is holding. Someone will need to pose as Damion, but that shouldn't be hard to fill, but the event is tonight."

Cyrus nodded. "Saturn will accompany you. This will be your first mission so don't fail me."

Dawn smiled. How could they be such fools? "Rhea, come with me." Saturn beckoned, standing beside the doorway. Dawn walked up the long staircase to the viewing area where the commanders were standing. Dawn smirked at the angry glares courtesy of Mars and Jupiter.

After walking away from them down the hallway Dawn posed a question. "How do you think I did?" She asked. Saturn shrugged. "Alright I guess. I think you got lucky however with Infernape's multiple critical hits with Fury Swipes on Gyarados. Though, I'll admit, your Stunky is quite impressive. Why doesn't she know any poison moves? I bet she could deal some massive damage with those kind of moves."

Dawn looked down and sighed a bit. "As far as I can tell, she's unable to learn any poison type moves. She did use Sludge Bomb once, but there was a certain reason for that."

"And that reason would be...?"

"It's kinda a long story, and I don't want to bore you." Dawn said with a sheepish grin. "We have a long walk ahead of us, and we still have to make sure your commander outfit fits you. I believe we have plenty of time."

Dawn sighed seeing as there was no winning this minor argument. "Well you see..." she continued to tell him the story of how her Stunky got furious when her friend's Numel was affected with the move Attract and how he called out something that made Stunky furious. "Hmm...maybe you should ask Jupiter about Stunky since she is after all the owner of a Skuntank so maybe she'll have a solution." He suggested.

"Yeah, but I think she kinda hates me." Dawn said as they came to the end of the hall. "I guarantee that she's just jealous because none of our interviews for commander position were that easy."

Dawn remained silent as they were greeted by a few grunts in the small room. "You're dress is ready, uh...miss...what's your commander name?" The female grunt who looked to be no older that Dawn with a black and white dress draped over her arms asked. "Rhea," Dawn said in a sturdy tone. Showing any fear around the grunts was a major no-no according to Saturn, but of course he didn't put it that way.

The grunt smiled. "Okay Rhea! Your dress is ready, and your formal dress for tonight is also almost ready. I beg your pardon but we only got word of this a few minutes ago." She explained, ending in a worried tone. "It's no problem." Dawn replied with a smile. The grunt returned the smile, but quickly returned to her normal blank expression when she saw the angered look from Saturn.

As Dawn and Saturn walked to the back of the room, Dawn heard the grunt say something just barely audible. "Yeah, it'll only be a few days till her nice attitude is coarse and she turns into a complete bitch...just like Saturn..."

When she heard this, she vowed to never be mean to any of the grunts without reason. Even if they were low in the ranks, they deserved respect just like everyone else.

* * *

**Dawn looked in the full-length mirror and cringed.** It was a nice dress at least. It was mostly black and white like the other commander's outfits; hers was gray from the waist down with black lines going all around the dress up to her upper torso; most of her arms were in the same fashion; the only thing missing now was the Galactic logo. "Eww, I feel like Mars in this."

"I assure you that you look a million times better than that old hag." Saturn said in a devious tone from behind her as he went to place a necklace around her neck. Dawn watched in the mirror as he tied the Galactic logo necklace around her neck with complete care. "Interesting," she commented once he stepped away.

A light knock on the door sounded before the grunt from earlier walked in holding a bright silver dress. "Commander Rhea, your formal dress is ready." She spoke, handing Dawn the dress.

"Okay, I'll leave again so you can put it on." Saturn said in an angry tone before leaving with the grunt. That's when Dawn noticed something. Saturn's voice tended to be calmer when he was around just her, but whenever a grunt or another commander was in the room he tended to sound very aggressive. What was that about?

The elegant silver dress seemed to fit her. It was a little loose around her frame, but that could be easily fixed. Dawn decided that it would be a little better if she had the dress fixed before Saturn saw. "Um, could I get someone in here to help me get this fitted?" Dawn asked aloud, knowing that the walls were thin enough for someone to hear her.

Within a few seconds the grunt that delivered her outfits cautiously walked into the room. "How can I be of assistance Miss Rhea?" She asked. "The back needs a little adjustment since it seems to be falling off a bit, but could I also ask you a few things?" Dawn asked.

The grunt gave her a confused look. "Sure you can ask me anything. Oh and this'll be an easy fix."

"Thanks," Dawn said with a small smile. "Okay, first, what's your name?"

"You're not required to know my name since I'm just a grunt." She answered as she began to fix Dawn's dress. "Well, I think just calling you 'grunt' is stupid since you have a name, and I highly doubt that you were named 'Grunt' when you were born." Dawn argued. Why did the grunts have to be so difficult?

Living under a strict code was one thing, but what harm could telling their name do? "Fine, my name is Aria."

"Okay. What's with Saturn? He always seems calm when it's just me and him, but whenever someone else come in the room he turns into a completely different person." Dawn asked, moving her arms a bit so Aria could pull the dress tighter. "As far as I know, Saturn never chose to be in Team Galactic so he kinda hates everyone here. From what I've heard he was forced into it. I'm almost positive that the information is on his restricted file. Though, if you go ask Charlotte and Skyler they'll most likely be able to tell you since they've hacked all of the commanders restricted files...oh crap." She said, pausing when she realized that she was talking to a commander, and now she had to power to rat her out and get her fired. As if life wasn't hard enough.

Dawn giggled. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone what you just said."

"Promise?" Aria asked, worry thick in her tone. "I've never broken a promise and I don't plan on starting now."

Aria smiled at Dawn. Maybe there was a chance that she actually wouldn't end up like Saturn and the others. "All done. Is it too tight?" She asked. Dawn moved around a bit and smiled. "Nope. Perfect!"

"Thanks. But okay, you and Saturn should be leaving soon." Aria spoke.

Just before Dawn and Saturn were going to leave, Dawn stopped by her assigned room to make sure her dress and hair looked alright. When she looked into the mirror, she frowned. For some reason, all she wanted right now was to see Lucas. She wished she could at least hear what he had to say about the dress.

She sighed and felt herself tremble a bit. Her mind went right back to when he had kissed her. Right now, all she wanted was to see him...

* * *

**The party was nothing huge. Just a little over one hundred people crowded into a good-sized mansion.** It was obvious that everyone was wealthy by the looks of their elegant dresses. "So, any ideas as to where the Griseous Orb may be?" Saturn asked messing with the tie to his gray tux. Dawn shook her head absentmindedly. Then something caught her eyes. Standing up against the wall jut a few feet away was Lucas wearing his coordinator tux.

He wore a very blasé expression as he scanned the crowd. Dawn smiled at him when he finally noticed her, but she quickly turned away knowing that it would be bad for her mission if she was associating with him...but then she realized another thing: if she was basically playing double-agent, then why was she so worried about completing this mission. "Oh great," Dawn huffed.

Saturn cocked his eyebrow. "Something wrong?" He asked, glancing down at her. "Someone I know is here and...just, yeah." She said, fumbling over her words. "Ah, I take it you and him were in a relationship of some sort?"

"Something like that," Dawn answered, blushing a bit. Once he saw her blush, Saturn immediately knew that he was correct. "Well," he began in an unsure tone. "We do have time so if you really want to you can go talk to him. Just don't take too long."

This made Dawn smile before nodding and walking away into the thick of the crowd. After a few seconds of avoiding people, she finally caught up with Lucas. "Hey," she started. "H-hey," he replied, nearly forgetting what to say. Then came the awkward silence. Well, apart from the sounds of music, people chatting, and the noises of dishes hitting one another, it was silent.

Lucas scrambled to think of what to say. Once again, he found himself speechless. "So what are you doing here?" Dawn decided to ask, breaking the silence. "Uh, I was kind of sent to make sure that you didn't get hurt." He said sheepishly. "Oh,"

Her reply made Lucas worry a bit. Was she angry? Was she upset? He couldn't tell. "But I guess I should also apologize..." he began. "For what?" Dawn asked, confused as to what he was apologizing for. "For...basically attacking you the other day." He said in a quiet tone, a blush spreading across his face like wildfire.

At first Dawn was confused, but then she quickly realized that he was apologizing for kissing her. "Well, I wouldn't exactly say you 'attacked' me." She replied nervously. "Well, I didn't know if..." but before he could continue, Dawn leaned up and kissed him on his cheek then lingered there for a second to whisper something. "Well, just for the record, I attacked back."

Having Dawn this close to his face was about to drive Lucas nuts. He carefully moved his hand up to her cheek and moved her head to where she was looking at him. "What I'm about to say is going to be really lame, but I'm going to say it anyways. Ever since that day we met, I knew I wanted to be with you no matter what." He said, blushing.

Dawn began to blush madly, but smiled nonetheless. "I-I...I..." she struggled to say. No one had ever said anything like this to her before, so she had no clue what to say other than, "s-same here."

Lucas smiled then tenderly kissed her. After a few seconds of their kiss, he was tempted to deepen it, but figured that this wasn't the place for that. After they pulled away they stood there in a calm embrace, ignoring the world around them, wishing that they'd never have to let go of one another.

But alas, just about everything has an end but just before she could leave, Lucas kissed her forehead and promised her that they would see each other soon enough.

"Everything go alright?" Saturn asked Dawn when she finally returned. "Y-yeah," she answered. He took notice of how nervous she was and the light blush on her face. A smirk came across his face as he spoke. "Alright then, but I've spotted the orb. It's actually been in pain view this whole time. Look," he explained, motioning for Dawn to look over at the grand piano that was at the far end of the room.

Above the piano was a large yellow-orange sphere I a glass case. "How are we supposed to get that?" Dawn asked. "Well," Saturn said followed by a chuckle. "Looks like we're going to have to crash the party. Normally I wouldn't care, but I suggest you warn your little boyfriend to get out of here."

* * *

Yup, so yeah. That was Chapter Twelve :D Hope everyone enjoyed it even though it was a tiny chapter ^_^'

But yeah, I'm finally on Summer Vacation so you can expect a new chapter some time within the next few weeks. I try to work fast, but I also want things to flow right...but yeah. lol. Questions? Comments? Randomness? You know where to type fellow reader :D


	13. Lake Verity

Teehee, yup. In less than two weeks I have a short chapter released. Notice the new rating? Yeah, lots of kissy and language stuff, but you're just gonna have to read to find out what I mean ;]

(And even a preview of the next chapter because I can't wait to write it!)

Chapter 13

Lake Verity

[Chapter rating- T]

**Mars gritted her teeth in frustration.** This boy was sure proving to be a very tough opponent.

* * *

_** It had been roughly three weeks since Dawn and Saturn had stolen the final orb from the Vanderbilt estate using brute force. **People got hurt in the incident; ending up in hospitals, severe injuries, and things of that nature. Dawn felt terrible considering Lucas just barely escaped harm, but knowing that she hospitalized many people ripped at her conscience. Nightmares plagued her sleep, depriving her of precious energy. She hadn't learned much from Team Galactic, but she continued on her mission..._

_

* * *

_

**Grabbing her video communicator she shakily dialed a number she had hoped that she would never have to resort to.** Saturn was busy, Jupiter already didn't answer her call, and Charon was useless as far as Mars was concerned, so that only left one final option. "Rhea its Mars!" She shouted as a slight explosion went off behind her. One of the grunt's Drifloon had been knocked out resulting in an explosion from its Aftermath ability.

"Mars what's wrong?" Came the worried, digital sounding voice from Dawn. "Get to Lake Verity fast! I need backup. Some pesky trainer is giving me a rough time!" She ordered, receiving a nod from Dawn before the screen went black.

Within thirteen minutes a large shadow of a large bat Pokemon carrying a human appeared over the lake. The Golbat that had been given to Dawn surprisingly evolved within a week of her owning him. Saturn told her that in order to get a Crobat they needed to like their trainer and that he was amazed that Golbat had warmed up to her so quickly. "Cro?" Crobat seemed to ask as Dawn used her free hand to move her loose hair away from her face. In her haste to leave to assist Mars she had no time to fix her hair to where it wouldn't go everywhere.

All the grunts were busy making sure that none of the local residents got into the lake, but when Dawn got a closer look, she noticed that Mars was busy battling someone: Lucas. "C'mon Crobat, I need to land right behind him." Dawn ordered, with a determined look. Though, she was a little nervous at the prospect of having to battle Lucas.

Crobat flew her just to where she could drop safely behind the male then quickly flew to her side. "Sorry it took me so long Mars. Crobat had a little trouble getting over the mountains." Dawn said with a blank expression, making Lucas look back at her. It was easy to see that he was having a hard time battling Mars, but from the looks of it, Lucas was winning for the most part with Magmortar looking a little weak, but not as weak as Mars' Bronzong. "No problem. You're just in time to watch me take down this little punk! Bronzong, use Payback!" Mars said confidently.

The giant bell Pokemon's bluish body seemed to be encased in a black light before ramming into Magmortar, knocking him out completely. Lucas winced as he recalled the spitfire Pokemon. Then, without anyone noticing beforehand, Mars walked up to Lucas and grabbed him by his collar, dragging him to her level. "Now leave unless you would like me to rearrange your face!" She threatened, making Dawn furious. "Mars, let him go." She threatened. "Pardon me Rhea, what was that?" Mars asked in a mocking tone. _"Let. Him. Go." _ Dawn said putting emphasis on each word.

Mars paused for a second before giving Dawn a cat-like grin. "Oh ho-ho! Do I sense a past romance here?" She mocked, making Dawn and Lucas blush slightly. "Never mind this then. Bronzong, take care of him with Faint Attack!" Mars ordered, tossing Lucas aside a bit enough to where Bronzong could attack him.

In the blink of an eye Bronzong had hit Lucas hard enough to make him fall to the ground, wincing in pain. "Lucas!" Dawn shouted in dismay. Then anger took over. How dare Mars hurt Lucas...she would pay. "You bitch," she mumbled, making Mars look back at her. "What was that?" Mars asked, obviously frustrated. "You heard me. You're nothing but a cold, low-hearted, old bitch! I can't believe you would even hurt him! I'll make you regret the day you joined Team Galactic!"

Mars only giggled. "And what are you going to do dear?" Dawn stood her ground and glared at the sassy commander. "Just leave before I make you!" She threatened. But now their argument had attracted the attention of a few of the grunts, and even Aria who was assigned to this mission. "Just take the damn lake Pokemon and leave!" She continued as she walked behind Lucas and bent down on her knees, making sure that her dress didn't get too much dirt on it. "And what if I don't?" Mars asked, still wearing a smirk.

"This won't help much but it'll be better in the long run." Dawn whispered before placing her hands over Lucas's ears. "It hurts when a Pokemon move is used on a human, so lets see how you like Crobat's Uproar!" Dawn ordered, flickering her angry gaze over to the bat Pokemon.

At first Crobat didn't seem to be making much noise, but soon, his soft noise became louder then an air horn. The loud screech made everyone in the lakes vicinity stop in their tracks and almost break down in pain. The smirk was completely wiped off of Mars' face and replaced with a look of pain.

In only a few short seconds Mars had admitted defeat, but now held a deep hatred for the young commander. "Ugh, Master Cyrus will hear about this! Head back to headquarters, we have what we need!" Mars ordered, and in the next minute, the whole area became mostly clear of the galactic grunts.

Aria and a few other grunts had stayed behind to make sure that Dawn was alright. "Miss Rhea, we should probably leave now." Aria said cautiously once Dawn stood up along with Lucas. "You know that I can't. Part of the rules state that commanders are not to leave until defeated or until they have defeated the opponent. Head back to headquarters, this'll only take a minute." She spoke lightly, shocking Lucas a bit.

He really didn't want to battle Dawn, especially after her little display of anger. The grunts nodded before leaving, all except for one, who decided to wait on Dawn outside of the lakes entrance.

After she was sure that all of the grunts were gone, she turned back to Lucas. "I'm...so sorry." She mumbled. Lucas smiled at her. Even though he hated seeing her so upset, he couldn't help but think she looked adorable this way. "It doesn't matter. You kinda had no choice really. But where'd you get the Crobat from?" He asked, looking over at the purple bat that was giving him an angry look from the pine tree that he was now resting on. "He's my transportation Pokemon. I don't like using him as just that though. As you saw, he does have good moves, but yeah...I probably have to get going though. I'll get in trouble if I don't get back soon."

Lucas's smile turned into a bit of a smirk. "Well...we still haven't battled yet," he said, sounding almost hopeful. Really he was just trying to buy time with her. Dawn returned the half-smile, half-smirk. "I guess you're right. One-on-one should do." She replied, backing up a bit so they could battle.

Now, Dawn's dress wasn't equipped with any sort of space where she could hold her Pokeballs, so one of the grunts had devised a way for her to carry them. On the back of her Galactic pendant were six minimized-pokeball slots, and out of the four occupied spots, Dawn grabbed Stunky's Pokeball. After clicking the center to maximize it size, the little purple skunk was released and ready for battle.

"Hmm...still a Stunky eh? Hope nothing will change between them because of this but lets go Camerupt!" Lucas called, releasing the giant fire camel Pokemon.

Now instead of a single volcano on his back, he now had two actual volcano's on his back; three blue fur circles stood out against his shaggy orange fur; and now instead of his drowsy look, he looked fierce and ready for battle. "Stunk...e?" Stunky called, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

"Camerupt," the eruption Pokemon mumbled. "Okay Stunky, let's start off with Night Slash!" Dawn ordered with newfound confidence.

Stunky's claws began to glow purple as she ran at Camerupt, only to stop before hitting him. Now that she was close enough to him, she could really catch his scent. "Skyuu!" She hissed with joy, realizing that it was Numel after all. Camerupt gave a grunt that sounded like a laugh before shaking his head a bit. Stunky then began to feel a bit nervous since Numel was now Camerupt and was now three times the size of her.

A funny feeling began to stir inside of her, making her feel a bit woozy. "Come on Stunky! Night Slash!" Dawn ordered, but before Stunky could even blink, a bright light surrounded her, signaling evolution. Stunky grew roughly to the height of three feet, her tail now curled above her body and flared over the top of her head like a wig; white fur tipped her tail and covered all four of her legs. "Skuntank!" She hissed in a proud manner.

"Camer," Camerupt mumbled in an interested tone. Dawn just stood there in amazement. Little Stunky was now a powerful Skuntank. All that training with Saturn finally paid off. "That was interesting," Lucas commented as Camerupt began to sniff at Skuntank.

"Skun!" She hissed in a sassy manner, turning away from Camerupt. He stood there shocked. What had he done to ruffle her fur? Skuntank then chuckled as she turned around, batted his nose, then rubbed her side to his, making them both blush. "I guess I can just say that we battled." Dawn said, smiling at her Pokemon.

"Fair enough, but okay another question for you: what's with the dress?" He asked, looking Dawn up and down, making her blush a bit. "Commander clothes. I don't understand why the dress had to be so long though. Flying just doesn't feel right and escapes aren't all that easy." She commented, the latter statement worrying Lucas a bit. How much thievery had she resorted to in the last few weeks? He sighed, "are you sure you still want to do this?"

Dawn looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with sorrow. "I wish I didn't have to, but something tells me that I'm the only one who can stop them..."

"Well...can you at least stay a little longer? I haven't seen you in quite some time." He asked nervously. "Sure."

The two sat on the lakes dock, with Camerupt and Skuntank sitting on the grass away from the dock since Camerupt was afraid of falling into the water. Crobat was sitting on the single lamp looking down upon his master and the male that angered him. Crobat was happy however to see Dawn this comfortable around another human since she was usually on edge around everyone else in Team Galactic, except for Saturn, who finally seemed to warm up to her a bit. But even then she was still a little nervous around him. Another thing Crobat never figured out was the effect that Dawn was under. He could still tell that some odd Pokemon move was affecting her, but he couldn't tell which it was.

"So what else is going on?" Dawn asked, leaning on Lucas's shoulder. "Not much really," he said, putting his arm around Dawn. "Selene sent Damion and Barry to lake Acuity to guard Uxie." When he explained that urgency shot through Dawn like electricity. "Oh no! I have to leave now! That's my next mission! Me and Saturn have to go get Uxie!" Dawn said as she began to stand up.

Lucas gave her a slightly worried stare as he stood up. "Okay, I don't want to sound like a completely jealous idiot, but I've noticed that you do a lot of work with that Saturn guy. You aren't getting involved with him are you...?" He cautiously asked. Dawn gave him a confused look. "Oh course not! Why would I completely destroy whatever it is we are?" She asked in a defensive tone. Why would he think that? Sure, all of her missions were with Saturn, and she was his apprentice, but that didn't mean anything!

"I-I'm sorry, I was just asking..." Lucas mumbled, a bit embarrassed. "It's fine, don't worry about it. I do tend to hang around him a lot, but it's only because he's my mentor. Now I really need to go! I'm sorry..." she hurriedly explained, ending on a sad note. Lucas smiled at her, pulled her close to him and lightly kissed her forehead.

Just before Dawn could take two steps away from him, her shoe got caught in the gap between the dock boards, making her fall, and dragging Lucas down on top of her. "Oh yeah, put me in heels because I'm perfectly coordinated when it comes to walking in them..." Dawn grumbled, before realizing the situation they were in. Lucas smirked a bit. "This is convenient."

At first Dawn was blushing considerably, but then a cheeky idea came to mind. "Oh you have no idea." Dawn said, grinning as she raised her hands and moved them down to Lucas's pants. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Lucas said, wide-eyed and blushing madly. Dawn giggled at his reaction. "I love teasing you, you just make it too easy."

"I think you'd react the same way." Lucas replied, his blush toning down. "I doubt it." Dawn said in almost a challenging voice. "Oh, is that a bet?" He asked in a mischievous tone. "I'll leave that up for you to decide." She said with a playful wink.

Lucas laughed a bit before leaning down to kiss Dawn, and after a few seconds Lucas began to deepen the kiss, much to Dawn's liking. She tried not to give any verbal reactions knowing that Lucas was trying to get her to just that, but after she wrapped her arms around his neck she lost their little bet.

Dawn stifled a few light moans, and when Lucas finally pulled away they both seemed out of breath. "So," Lucas began, moving down to kiss her neck. "What was that about no reaction?" He asked. Dawn shivered a bit as he continued to kiss her neck. "Guess I was wrong..."

After a little longer of their goofing off, Dawn finally returned to the Galactic Headquarters but found that the atmosphere somehow seemed different. When she walked in the building, she noticed that none of the usual grunts were hanging around. "Commander Rhea?" The receptionist Marie called. "Yes?" Dawn answered. "Commander Saturn has requested that you go to your assigned room because he needs to speak with you shortly." She said in an unsure tone.

Dawn blinked in confusion but complied and quietly made her way up to her room. When she got there she walk in and sat at her desk. After turning on the small lamp he began to read over a few papers that had been given to her about her upcoming mission with Saturn.  
When she heard a nock at her door she stood up, but before she could answer it two male grunts barged in with Saturn right behind them. The grunts then grabbed both of Dawn's arms and put them behind her back as if she were about to be handcuffed. "Saturn, what's going on?" Dawn asked, trying to break free from the grunts grip. "I could ask the same for you missy." He said in a hateful tone. "According to one of the grunts that stayed behind after the Lake Verity mission, you were seen fraternizing with the enemy. You know that is strictly forbidden, and we now have reason to believe that you are leaking information to unworthy sources. I'll ask you this only once: who are you giving information to?"

Dawn looked at him as if he were crazy. "What? That's ridiculous! I wouldn't do that!"

Saturn gave a loud 'ha' after she said that. "You two may leave, I'll deal with this myself." He said, looking at the two grunts. Once released, Dawn began to rub her arms a bit since the grunt's grip had been very tight, but then took a step back when she realized that Saturn was getting closer towards her. "Who have you been giving information to?" He restated, backing up Dawn to the wall. "No one!"

His glare only intensified. "Quit lying! You're nothing but a horney little whore! I can practically smell the cologne and lust coming off of you. Now tell me who it is!" He yelled, slamming his fist into the wall just above Dawn's head.

Dawn began to tremble a bit. She had seen him angry, but never like this. His anger also began to resurface old memories...

"H-his name is Lucas." She admitted. A devious smirk made it's ay across his face. "Good. But now tell me, what else have you been lying to me about?"

"I couldn't stop it, but I got placed under the effect of Destiny Bond from a Gardevoir so I could be monitored."

Saturn's expression softened as he stepped away. "I'm giving you two options. I can severely punish you for not telling me about all of this and for fraternizing with the enemy, or you can prove yourself loyal to Team Galactic by helping me bring in your friend for questioning. Now, which will you pick?"

"..."

"I warn you, the punishment will be severe. You could possibly end up hospitalized, but then again, who said anything about taking you to the hospital if you get injured?"

"...I don't want to hurt Lucas..."

* * *

**But yeah. Poor Dawn. I torture her so...Next chapter will hopefully be done by 6/30/10. Maybe sooner ;D But hey...wanna nice sneakpeak at the next chapter? Sure you do! He ya' go ;)**

**_..::Preview of Chapter Fourteen::.._**

** Dawn cried out in pain as the grunt finished tying her to the metal pole. ** She looked at her surroundings with a look of despair. Saturn stood in the upper floor, eyeing her with an angered expression. She could practically feel the anger emitting from his sapphire eyes. The bleak warehouse didn't help with her fear, and the four grunts that stood in front of her with their Houndoom glaring at her with a hungry expression only furthered her fear. "Saturn stop this! I'm sorry!" Dawn shouted, but he ignored her pleas for help. "Proceed," he ordered.

The grunt's Houndoom began to unleash their Flamethrower attack just to where Dawn could feel the flames intensity. The lead Houndoom then stopped using Flamethrower, but coated his fangs with the inferno then began to snap at Dawn, making her scream in terror. "Stop! Leave me alone!"

Infernape, Skuntank, Gabite, and Crobat –who all had been chained using heavy chains– began to try to rip from the cord, only ending in failure.

* * *

** Gardevoir began to give loud called as if she were scared, worrying Selene. ** Lucas looked up at the psychic trainer and her Pokemon that was beginning to cover her face with her hands, and sink away into the corner of the Canalave City Library. "Lucas, Gardevoir says Dawn's getting attacked! As I've suspected they've frightened the truth out of her and are now trying to eliminate her! You're the only one who can save her since Barry and Damion haven't returned." Selene explained in a hurried tone. Lucas quickly realized that one of the grunts must have seen them at Lake Verity and reported her. Guilt began to cloud his thoughts. _"I've caused her a lot of trouble, and now, she could be killed because of me..."_ He thought before Gardevoir looked over at him and blinked heavily, teleporting them both.

When Gardevoir got them where Dawn was, Lucas recognized this to be abandoned Fuego Ironworks. "Dawn!" Lucas shouted once he saw the situation she was in. The grunts and their Pokemon turned around then ordered an attack on Gardevoir, who retaliated with Psychic to stop the fire attack. Then she proceeded to use Hypnosis to make the fire canines fall fast asleep, making the grunts retreat.

Lucas hurried over to Dawn, her eyes were wide with fear, she seemed to be trembling, and light burn mark was visible across her cheek. "Dawn, are you alright?" Lucas frantically asked.

At first Dawn didn't respond, but after a quick second she finally came-to. "Y-yeah, better now that you're here." She said in a hopeful tone, which made Lucas smile a bit. He then began to try to untie her. "Wait a second." Dawn said, grabbing his attention. "Lucas, there's a few things I need to say before you untie me." She started. "Okay, but can't it wait? I don't want to risk those galactic morons coming back."

"No, it can't wait! Look, I know that it's a way too soon to be saying this, but I love you, and I'm sorry..." she hurriedly spoke. Her 'I love you' comment threw Lucas a little off guard, but nevertheless he smiled at her. "I-" but Dawn cut him short. "I'm so sorry for this..."

Lucas sympathetically smiled at her before lightly kissing her cheek. "You've done nothing wrong Dawn." He whispered softly. Tears began to well in her eyes. "Oh but I have, and for that I am sorry but..." she said before taking a deep breath. "Saturn now!" Before Lucas had any chance to react grunts seemed to flood the factory. "Don't let him escape!" A loud voice ordered.

Gardevoir tried to get to Lucas, but one of the male grunts little crow Pokemon quickly swooped down from the raptors above using Astonish, making her flinch a bit. The only downfall with this was since Destiny Bond was still in effect, Dawn also felt the pain. All of her muscles tensed, her eyes widened, and she felt like she was having a panic attack.

From above, Saturn noticed this and gritted his teeth in frustration. "I swear if any of the grunts harm her I'll kill them. She's the perfect bait and I can't have her hurt!" He hissed under his breath...


	14. He's not evil, he's my grandpa!

Haha, so I love the title, but yeah. In this chapter I take a little more author liberty and change Charon's character up a bit, meaning I make him slightly nice. Only towards Dawn though because I see him as that creepy yet loveable grouchy grandfather.

Chapter Fourteen

He's not evil, he's my grandpa!

[Rating- PG]

* * *

**Dawn cried out in pain as the grunt finished tying her to the metal pole.** She looked at her surroundings with a look of despair. Saturn stood in the upper floor, eyeing her with an angered expression. She could practically feel the anger emitting from his sapphire eyes. The bleak warehouse didn't help with her fear, and the four grunts that stood in front of her with their Houndoom glaring at her with a hungry expression only furthered her fear. "Saturn stop this! I'm sorry!" Dawn shouted, but he ignored her cry for help. "Proceed," he ordered.

The grunt's Houndoom began to unleash their Flamethrower attack just to where Dawn could feel the flames intensity. The lead Houndoom then stopped using Flamethrower, but coated his fangs with the inferno then began to snap at Dawn, making her scream in terror. "Stop! Leave me alone!"

Infernape, Skuntank, Gabite, Arcanine, and Crobat –who all had been heavily chained– began to try to rip from the cord, only ending in failure.

* * *

**Gardevoir began to give loud called as if she were scared, worrying Selene.** Lucas looked up at the psychic trainer and her Pokemon that was beginning to cover her face with her hands, and sink away into the corner of the Canalave City Library. "Lucas, Gardevoir says Dawn's getting attacked! As I've suspected they've frightened the truth out of her and are now trying to eliminate her! You're the only one who can save her since Barry and Damion haven't returned." Selene explained in a hurried tone. Lucas quickly realized that one of the grunts must have seen them at Lake Verity and reported her. Guilt began to cloud his thoughts. I _"I've caused her a lot of trouble, and now, she could be killed because of me..."_ /I He thought before Gardevoir looked over at him and blinked heavily, teleporting them both.

When Gardevoir got them where Dawn was, Lucas recognized this to be abandoned Fuego Ironworks. "Dawn!" Lucas shouted once he saw the situation she was in. The grunts and their Pokemon turned around then ordered an attack on Gardevoir, who retaliated with Psychic to stop the fire attack. Then she proceeded to use Hypnosis to make the fire canines fall fast asleep, making the grunts retreat.

Lucas hurried over to Dawn, her eyes were wide with fear, she seemed to be trembling, and light burn mark was visible across her cheek. "Dawn, are you alright?" Lucas frantically asked.

At first Dawn didn't respond, but after a quick second she finally came-to. "Y-yeah, better now that you're here." She said in a hopeful tone, which made Lucas smile a bit. He then began to try to untie her. "Wait a second." Dawn said, grabbing his attention. "Lucas, there's a few things I need to say before you untie me." She started. "Okay, but can't it wait? I don't want to risk those galactic morons coming back."

"No, it can't wait! Look, I know that it's a way too soon to be saying this, but I love you, and I'm sorry..." she hurriedly spoke. Her 'I love you' comment threw Lucas a little off guard, but nevertheless he smiled at her. "I-" but Dawn cut him short. "I'm so sorry for this..."

Lucas sympathetically smiled at her before lightly kissing her cheek. "You've done nothing wrong Dawn." He whispered softly. Tears began to well in her eyes. "Oh but I have, and for that I am sorry but..." she said before taking a deep breath. "Saturn now!" Before Lucas had any chance to react, grunts seemed to flood the factory. "Don't let him escape!" A loud voice ordered.

Gardevoir tried to get to Lucas, but one of the male grunts little crow Pokemon quickly swooped down from the raptors above using Astonish, making her flinch. The only downfall with this was since Destiny Bond was still in effect, Dawn also felt the pain. All of her muscles tensed, her eyes widened, and she felt like she was having a panic attack.

From above, Saturn noticed this and gritted his teeth in frustration. "I swear if any of the grunts harm her I'll kill them. She's the perfect bait and I can't have her hurt!" He hissed under his breath.

All the battling subsided as the grunts finally had Lucas captive. "Alright Commander Saturn, we've got him." The grunt Aria called once everyone was silenced. "Good," Saturn said in a chuckle. "I guess I owe an apology to you Rhea. Thanks to your work, we now have one person who knows information about us. You're one step closer to redeeming yourself."

When Lucas heard Saturn's mini-speech he looked back at Dawn, who was now being untied along with her Pokemon. "Dawn, why?" He asked, confused beyond belief as to why Dawn would aid the enemy. She didn't answer him, which worried Lucas. He could tell that for some reason she seemed to be fearing something. "Gardev!" Gardevoir called, challenging Dawn.

Dawn looked at the Embrace Pokemon, and seemed to shudder before looking up to where Saturn was standing. "Saturn, we need to defeat Gardevoir. If we don't she'll still be able to track me!" She shouted. Saturn gave her an indifferent stare. "But isn't she attached to you in some sort? Everything she feels you feel." He asked. Dawn nodded. "Yes, but it must be done. We can't have her following me. Gabite and Arcanine, standby for battle." She ordered in a slightly angered tone.

The ground shark Pokemon marched obediently over to Dawn while Arcanine's steps were a little unsure looking. Gardevoir was Selene's Pokemon, and he was Damion's. Damion and Selene were more than good friends, so was it wrong to hurt his friend even though his orders were to obey Dawn?

All the grunts and Saturn seemed to watch with interest as Gardevoir began to survey the situation. Two against one: hardly fair. If she could get Arcanine on her side, she just might stand a chance...but then again, Damion's Pokemon always follow orders.

The psychic Pokemon blinked heavily, making the air around her drop to a very low temperature. "Vior!" She called, using her psychic powers to make the frozen air rush at the two defending Pokemon. Even though her new move Icy Wind was ice type, it still hurt Arcanine a bit. Both Pokemon's limbs seemed to freeze, slowing them considerably. "Arcanine, use Fire Fang. Gabite, you use Flamethrower on Arcanine." Dawn ordered.

Intense flames billowed out of the Cave Pokemon's mouth, and when it made contact with Arcanine, it melted away into his fur, powering up his fire type moves. Arcanine howled as the flames made contact with his pelt, then went running at Gardevoir with a flame-coated mouth.

Gardevoir placed her arms in front of her, making a bright orange light appear in front of her, and just before Arcanine attacked her, she fired it at him. His fangs still got a hold of her arm, but the Focus Blast hurt him badly. Gardevoir shouted out in pain, making Arcanine feel a bit guilty. Not enough to make him disobey Dawn though. "Arcanine heal yourself with Morning Sun while Gabite uses Shadow Claw."

Arcanine's fur began to glow and he began to feel a lot better, and Gabite's claws became encased in a dark energy, slashing at Gardevoir with great force. The psychic Pokemon was knocked back quite a few feet, slamming into one of the grunts. Both of them fell to the ground, but when Gardevoir looked up at Dawn, Dawn too collapsed to her knees. She clutched her fist over her front and seemed to be struggling to breath. "Rhea, are you alright?" Saturn asked with mild concern as he leaned against the railing. "Y-yeah, Destiny Bond sucks though." She said, between breaths. "Dawn stop this! I don't know what they've done to you, but you can still stop this!" Lucas yelled, before one of the grunts threw him to the ground then kicked him in the gut. He grunted in pain, which made Dawn feel worse, but she said nothing about it.

"Double Flamethrower!" Dawn ordered in a stressed tone. Both of the Pokemon combined their Flamethrowers, but missed Gardevoir. "Gabite use Aerial Ace!"

Unable to miss this move, Gardevoir accepted that fate and took the hit. Dawn also shouted out in pain but knew that Gardevoir was only seconds from fainting. Gardevoir also knew that her time was almost up, but she couldn't give up. That wasn't in her nature. She launched another psychic attack, knocking Gabite a good distance away from her, but what she didn't expect was for Arcanine to act on his own. The fire canine quickly ran at her at howled loudly. The Roar made her freak out and she then used Teleport to get away.

A cold wind seemed to blow over Dawn as she took a deep breath. "Destiny Bond...is over..." she mumbled before collapsing completely on the ground. A few grunts tried to get her to stand, but the urge to faint was weighing heavily on Dawn. "Dawn-" Lucas tried to shout before getting kicked once more.

Dawn saw Lucas in agony and she remembered hearing Saturn frantically shouting her name, before giving in to the immanent darkness.

When she awoke she quickly realized that a Skuntank and her Infernape were standing beside her, and she was in her room back at the galactic headquarters. She knew that it wasn't her Skuntank since hers had a distinctive indent on her forehead from an old battle scar. "Finally. You've been out for some time." A feminine voice said in a relieved tone. Dawn blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted to the light, and she noticed Commander Jupiter. "Jupiter?" Dawn asked as she sat up. "Yeah. I came to check on you because I'll be honest, I was a little worried. You've certainly earned my respect. Ever since your argument with Mars at Lake Verity she's been in her room staring at her mirror saying things like 'I'm not old!'. It's pretty funny if you ask me." The purple commander said, grinning. Her Skuntank hissed a laugh along with Infernape.

Dawn sighed. "Do you know what happened to Lucas?" Jupiter shook her head. "I've heard nothing about him. All I know is that Saturn has had him in the interrogation room all night."

"How long have I been out?" Dawn asked, looking over at her Infernape who was grinning at Jupiter's Skuntank. It was easy to see that they were fast friends. "I'd say a little over a day. Though Saturn gave me orders to bring you to the interrogation room as soon as you wake up. Sorry."

Dawn sighed again as she slid out from the covers. "Can I at least shower? I feel disgusting." She asked. Jupiter shrugged before leaving the room. "Be quick though." She said before the door closed behind her, with Skuntank following right behind. Dawn remained silent as she gathered her clothes then walked into the large bathroom to shower.

Infernape felt a small sense of Déjà vu as he jumped up on Dawn's bed and waited for her. He also began to wonder what happened to make Dawn go against Lucas. They finally seemed to work everything out emotionally, but ever since that trip back to Lake Verity Dawn had been on edge. Ever since this mission began she had been on edge. Life wasn't fair, and Infernape was having to learn this the hard way.

* * *

**While Jupiter lead her down the hall,** Dawn couldn't escape the feeling that she was going to faint. Nausea took over and it felt like the world was spinning. After placing her hand on her forehead she stumbled a bit and had to use the wall for support. "Rhea, are you alright?" Jupiter asked, turning around to face the fallen commander. "Y-yeah, I think I'm just tired is all..."

* * *

**Lucas could feel his tension rising. **Saturn had finally left the room about an hour ago but everything was beginning to pile up. Saturn had threatened him multiple times; he hadn't eaten in a very long time, giving him a hunger migraine; and his thoughts kept trailing back to Dawn. He rested his head in his right hand and began to tap his fingers on the table in an attempt to relieve some of his stress.

When the door opened he looked up expecting to see Saturn again, but he didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried about. The only emotion he felt right now was heartbreak. He was about to say something when Dawn moved her finger up to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. "I'm not supposed to be in here. Jupiter is keeping guard outside, and Saturn will be back here soon. We need to talk." She said with pleading eyes.

Lucas sighed before looking at her with an angered expression. "I don't think there's anything to say." He said bitterly. "Lucas please...I'm sorry. Please understand." She begged. She then watched as he shook his head. "Just leave me alone Dawn. Every bit of silence I can get I don't want to waste before your little boyfriend comes back to interrogate me."

His last comment hit Dawn hard. "Lucas I told you nothing is going on between us! He's my mentor, nothing more!" She said, her tone going over her hushed whisper. Lucas snorted at her comment. "Like I'm going to believe you."

"Why are you so adamant that I'm involved with him?" She asked. "Oh that's right. You passed out. Exactly what you deserve for lying to me."

Now Dawn was more confused than anything. "Lying? What have I lied about?" She watched as he rolled his eye and stood up. "Everything! I can't believe that I ever fell for your little trick! You're nothing but a conniving little..." he paused to make sure he didn't say anything he might regret. "I've already given you the information you want just let me go! It's obvious that you've chosen your destiny, but I refuse to be apart of this!"

Dawn shook her head. "I don't have control over this. Please forgive me Lucas! I never wanted them to hurt you!" She said, walking around the table to stand in front of him. His anger only escaladed. "You know what? I can't wait for your mother to hear about this! You'll be an even bigger disgrace to your family. She was right. You're no better than your father!"

A few tears began to pool in Dawn's eyes at his last statement.

"If I-"

"Stop! Just stop right there! I hate you! "_I. Hate. You!"_ Dawn yelled, moving forward to try to slap him, but found that she suddenly held no strength. Her hand lingered at his cheek for a second before she fell into him and just stayed there, crying. "I hate you..." she mumbled. She felt him sigh before he put his arms around her in an embrace. "You don't deserve any of my sympathy." He said quietly as he rested his head atop of hers.

Dawn continued to cry, wondering why he still had to rip her apart. She again stated that she hated him, and she began to feel a defined wet spot on his shirt due to her tears. "If I had been given the choice, I never would have fallen in love with you." Those words began to ring in her ears.

_If I had been given the choice, I never would have fallen in love with you..._

_I never would have fallen in love with _you_...  


* * *

_

**Crobat and Gabite let out a worried whimper.** Crobat was seated on the top of Arcanine's head, who was sitting right next to Dawn's bed; Gabite stood beside Arcanine; Infernape was seated at the very end of the bed; and Skuntank was curled right next to their trainer, who was still asleep.

They watched as a few tears began to roll down her cheek, and she began to move a bit. Infernape hoped down from the edge of the bed then walked up to where Arcanine was and made him move a bit. "Infern," he muttered as he wiped the tears off of her cheek with his blue fingers. _ "I'm worried. This is the second time this has happened." _ Infernape spoke, looking at all of the Pokemon around him.

Nobody replied as they continued to monitor Dawn while she slept, Infernape only moving to wipe away the tears that still seemed to flow. Dawn finally began to wake up.

"Arca!" Arcanine barked, moving to lick her cheek. Dawn giggled a bit at began to rub the side of Arcanine's head as she sat up. "It was...only a dream..." she mumbled, pulling Arcanine a little closer so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry everyone...I-I've been a jerk lately haven't I?" She asked in a hushed tone. Her Pokemon gave her a confused look before smiling at her. "Skuu-uh!" Skuntank purred, sitting up to rub her muzzle against her cheek. "Thanks Skuntank." Dawn said as she leaned away from Arcanine who seemed to be giving her a smile.

The door to her room began to open a bit, but stopped midway. "Would you quit following me? You act like I'm about to go murder her! I'm the last guy you should worry about!" A male voice argued. From what Dawn could see, it wasn't a grunt, but the clothes looked similar to Commander Saturn's, though the male seemed just a bit shorter. "Which is why I suspect you the most." Came the rougher male tone.

The male sighed then turned around, leaving Dawn a bit wide-eyed. "Good morning beautiful. You gave the commanders and us quite a scare yesterday. I hate to you rush you, especially since you've fainted twice now, and you probably haven't eaten in about two days, but we're about to start the next mission to get Uxie, and your assistance is required."

Dawn still sat there gazing at the person ahead of her. All of her Pokemon turned to look at the person, and they too seemed shocked.

* * *

**Frigid air blew through the area as two people landed in front of the Snowpoint City gym. **"Good of you to show up on time deary, I was wondering if you were going to make it or not." Came a kind, elderly voice.

Dawn smiled at the approaching old man, as he trekked through the snow. "Oh Charon, why do you always assume that I'm going to be late?" She asked with a sweet smile. "Well, when you're with Saturn you tend to run just a tad late." He replied in a joking tone, eyeing the other commander.

Saturn passed an angry sigh, making the air around him visible due to the cold. "I suggest we get inside the gym before we freeze." He grumbled. "Yes, yes! Let's make this a long drawn out battle! Come now dear, don't want to keep grandpa Charon waiting!"

A light giggle passed Dawn's lips as she followed Charon into the gym. This had to be the easiest mission yet! Commander Jupiter was to steal Uxie from the lake, but in order to do that the city's gym leader needed to be distracted; this is where Dawn came in. She was to challenge the gym leader to a gym battle, earn the badge, and give them enough time to get Uxie; Charon posing as her very encouraging grandfather and Saturn being the friend who tagged along.

The gym battle against the ever-peppy Candice went a little easier than planned. Saturn and Charon sat in the stands watching her battle. Saturn looked bored out of his mind, but Charon seemed to be enjoying the battle. "Good show I say!" He called as Candice's Abomasnow fainted after a second Flame Wheel from Infernape.

"Oh you little! Now that I'm down to my last two Pokemon, it's time to break loose and not hold anything back!" Candice shouted before tossing a standard pokeball onto the field.

A little yellow Pokemon appeared, and began to dance a bit. His cone shaped body was covered in a mostly yellow cloak that was rimmed with orange; his face, feet, and hands were completely black, only being offset by his beady blue eyes. "Snorunt!" It cheered. "Okay little buddy, lets start off with Spikes!" The gym leader ordered.

Snorunt seemed to shudder a bit before his body glowed, releasing tiny spikes everywhere. "Be careful where you step Infernape, but use Double Kick!"

After glancing around to make sure that his path was clear of spikes, the fire ape went running at the little snow Pokemon. "Protect!" Just before Infernape could begin to rapidly kick him, a blue sphere surrounded Snorunt, nullifying Double Kick.

As the battle was dragged out a little further by the annoyance Snorunt, Saturn could feel himself begin to shiver. How he hated the cold. He was beginning to wonder how on earth Candice and Dawn seemed to be warm, especially since they were both wearing short skirts.

"Saturn, we're going to need backup! I underestimated these two trainers, and now I could really use some backup!" The voice of Jupiter ordered in his earpiece communicator. Saturn glanced back down at the battlefield. He had been to busy thinking about how cold he was to notice that Dawn had switched out to her Crobat. Candice's Snorunt had fallen, and she now replaced him with her Sneasel.

The little black weasel-like Pokemon scratched the short pink feather atop her head, and then called her name. "Crobat, use Hypnosis!" Dawn ordered. The purple bat began to stare intently at Sneasel before letting out a harsh screech. "Sneasel dodge!" Candice ordered.

Using the frozen floor below her, Sneasel used her feet like ice skates to speed away from the oncoming move. "Use Ice Punch!" Candice ordered. Sneasel's razor sharp hook claws began to become coated in ice as she again skated to get closer towards Crobat. She just barely missed, but clipped Crobat's bottom wings, making him incapable of flight.

Now Dawn was in a bit of a bind. Most of Crobat's moves involved him flying, but now he was stranded on the boulder of ice until his wings thawed, and being in this frozen gym, that wasn't going to be soon. "You know Dawn, I really like that you chose to use a Crobat against my ice Pokemon seeing as you have the type disadvantage. But you won't be winning this if you keep depending on your luck!" Candice commended. "Sneasel, use Assist!"

Sneasel's eyes began to glow. The trick to the move Assist was that it allowed Sneasel to use any move known by her fellow team members. Her eyes continued to glow as her expression softened and huge tears began to flow from her eyes. Crobat was surrounded in a blue light as the Fake Tears lowered his special defense by two stages. Dawn tried to think of something to order, but everything would have to be a close range for Crobat to attack.

She could switch out her Pokemon, but where was the fun in that? She wanted to show Candice that Crobat was more than capable of battle. "Now Sneasel, use Ice Shard!"

A small shard of ice began to form at Sneasel's claw tips, and then she fired the ice gem at the grounded Crobat. "Crobat use Air Slash to block that!"

Crobat frantically waved his top wings, sending out a small ball of wind. It was enough to knock the ice off course, missing Crobat by only inches. Dawn and Crobat sighed at the same time, but when she glanced at Saturn, she could tell that he needed her to speed things up. "Icy Wind!"

Snow seemed to rush out of Sneasel's mouth, and its attack span was too large for Crobat to do anything to dodge. His wing tips were now completely frozen, and he was incapable of any movement. "Now let's finish this with Ice Punch!" Candice ordered, hoping that it would be her last, for this Pokemon at least.

Crobat began to tremble with fear as Sneasel drew closer. His hope at winning almost faded, until Dawn called out an order. "Poison Fang!" He forced his jaw open and the toxin seemed to be dripping from his sharp fangs, and just when Sneasel was in close range, he sunk his teeth into her arm.

Both Pokemon were knocked out, but since Dawn still had remaining Pokemon, she was the victor. "Great job Sneasel." Candice said softly as she went to pick up her fallen Sneasel on the field then put her back in the pokeball. "You too Dawn!" She said as Dawn went to recall Crobat.

Dawn smiled. "Thanks,"

"But here's your Icicle Badge!" Candice said as she handed Dawn the blue badge that looked like two mountains capped with snow. Dawn took the badge then looked up at Saturn and Charon. Saturn nodded. "Well, we better get going." She said causally. "Yes, we must! We must!" Charon said, standing up. "Come on now, move lazy bones. I'm an old man and I'm moving faster than you!" Charon grumbled, glaring slightly at Saturn. "Hang on!" Candice said, stopping Dawn in her tracks.

"I know I said this earlier, but you look really familiar. Like, _really_ familiar! Especially the tall guy over there." She continued, making Saturn a bit irritated. He had given her a false name numerous times, yet she never seemed to remember it. "Wait a minute... You're not just Dawn..." she said, her expression beginning to look panicked.

Dawn's heart began to pound. Had she somehow overlooked the fact that her picture could have been on any news channel as Rhea of Team Galactic? Saturn too began to worry about this so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a minimized pokeball in case of anything. "You're Dawn Berlitz! You were in the Veilstone City Double Contest! I totally saw that!" Candice shouted excitedly, making Dawn inwardly sigh with relief. "I don't remember where your guy friend is from, but I remember you now! Where's Lucas? Or was that just a contest deal?"

Before Dawn could answer any of her questions, one of the many grunts rushed into the gym, panting and out of breath. "Saturn, Rhea... Trouble at Lake Acuity!" He said quickly. Candice looked a little confused. "I thought you said your name was Dawn." She questioned, looking at said trainer.

Dawn nervously laughed. "Eh, well...Saturn what do I do?" She asked aloud. He chucked loud enough for it to echo in the empty gym. "We head to the lake and get control of Uxie, simple as that. You've weakened all of Candice's Pokemon so there's not much she can do."

"Wait, Uxie? No...Now I really remember you! You're Team Galactic!"

"Ding, ding we have a winner. Actually, you've already lost. Rhea, lets leave. Jupiter already asked for backup." Saturn ordered as he began to make his way down the stairs calmly, pokeball still in hand. Candice squinted her eyes in anger.

How dare someone use her as a distraction? "Hold it right there! I'm not about to let you just waltz out of here! I won't let you get Uxie, and I want my badge back! You're gonna have to go through me before anything!" She challenged, grabbing a pokeball to a Pokemon she hadn't used in battle. Dawn smirked at the angry ice specialist as Saturn spoke. "I figured you'd say something like that. Ambipom, keep her busy." With s flick of the wrist, the large purple monkey Pokemon leaped out onto the icy field.

Using her long tails that had three-fingered hands, she maneuvered easily on the ice then leaped up at the leader, using her tails to keep her from moving. "Am-bee!" The ape called in a cheerful tone as the female tried to get out of her grasp. "You'll, ah!" She tried to yell, only resulting in Ambipom squeezing her to keep her quiet. "You see Candice. Every time you scream, talk, or do anything to get attention, Ambipom here will tighten her grip. I warn you, she's not afraid to hurt you, and sooner or later you might pass out due to lack of air. Now, choose your words carefully.

"Rhea, Charon, we're leaving."

"You're a disgrace! You're a disgrace to everyone around you! Your family, to all gym leaders who gave you badges, to everyone! Especially to yourself!" Candice shouted at Dawn, with a hateful expression as Ambipom squeezed her a bit more. Dawn stopped walking, and her expression darkened. Saturn noticed this and seemed to get a look of curiosity.

She whipped around and glared at the trapped leader. "You hear me! I am a disgrace to no one! I earned all of my badges fair and square! My family is nothing but a bunch of liars and backstabbers! I'm correcting the wrongdoings they have committed but surrounding myself with people who fight for the greater good! You I_don't_/I know me." She yelled, putting a look of shock on everyone around her. "We'll be leaving thank you." She said in a much calmer tone before heading out.

And with that the three commanders left, Ambipom still gripping the leader. "Ah bee, bee, pom." She giggled. When she felt the girl try to rip from her grip, she placed her weaker two arms around her and hugged her tighter.

* * *

**Charon had stayed behind to resume some work on the Snowpoint Temple on a Pokemon known as Regigigas, **just leaving Saturn and Dawn to back up Jupiter. When they got there they found Damion and Barry standing at the lakes edge, Jupiter nowhere in sight. A Skarmory was standing at Damion's side, and a large water penguin known as Empoleon was standing at Barry's side. "Barry, Damion. It's been awhile." Dawn called in delighted tone.

When Barry saw her, he seemed really surprised. "Dawn? Is that really you?" He asked. "The one and only, but I actually go by Rhea now. So I hear you have defeated one of my superiors? I commend you for that, but now it's our turn to beat you." She said, smiling the whole time. "Saturn, will our strategy work without Infernape?" She asked, looking at the older commander who stood at her side. "O-of course. Pardon me. I-I hate the cold."

Damion sighed then looked at his younger battle partner. "I guess we really have to battle her. We're not holding back just because you're our friend Dawn." Damion announced. Dawn simply laughed at him. "You two? My friends? Please. I'm no longer friends with commoners like you." She scoffed, batting her eyes a bit. Barry just looked at her with the most bored expression. "Geez, you sound like you when I first met you. All snobby because mommy told you that commoners have no privilege knowing your name. Blah, blah, blah." He mocked.

This irritated Dawn a bit. Saturn took a casual step forward. "I will be nice and give you both two options. You can calmly leave, we'll collect Uxie and be on our way; or you can be stubborn and stay which will result in a battle. Which sounds easier?"

Damion looked at the commander with determined eyes. "It may not be the easy way out, but it's the honorable way out. We stay to battle, and we'll win!"

A smirk ran across Saturn's face. "Your first mistake. Toxicroak, standby for battle!" He said as he released the bipedal frog who then croaked his name and seemed to be itching for battle. The Toxic Mouth Pokemon began to shudder a bit, signaling that the opposing Pokemon knew some super effective moves. "Go Gabite!" Dawn ordered, releasing the Cave Pokemon.

When the battle was over it ended up with Dawn as the victor since Damion had knocked out Toxicroak in no time and since he had no other Pokemon with him seeing as Ambipom was still with Candice, and his transportation Pokemon was useless in battle.

"You've improved a lot Barry. I'm truly honored to have batted you, but we must be going now." Dawn spoke, in a confident tone. Barry angrily shook his head and stood in their way as they moved towards the lake. "Okay you beat my Pokemon but you haven't beat me! I'll fight you both if I have to! I-" Barry froze and seemed to be unable to speak. "I'm afraid we're going to have to say otherwise. Fist fighting is so low...don't you think Barry?" Came a familiar voice.

Dawn turned around and smiled at the oncoming group of grunts. "Good timing. We could use some help. Keep them occupied while we get Uxie." Dawn ordered, smiling at the lead grunt. He nodded and returned the smile as his Pokemon kept using Psychic to keep the trainers at bay. "Rhea, do you still have the two Lanturn?" Saturn asked. He had worried that Jupiter might fail the mission so he made Dawn leave behind a few of her Pokemon so she could keep the two water Pokemon.

"Oh course,"

"Release them into the water, you'll find that they already know what to do." Once given the order, Dawn released the two Light Pokemon into the water. Their fish-like body was mostly hidden under the water, but their yellow masked eyes were visible along with the glowing antenna on their heads.

Saturn nodded at the two before they disappeared underwater. The two Pokemon looked at one another before hurrying off into the depths of the cold water. Once they were at the bottom of the lake, they noticed the bright light coming from the legendary lake Pokemon. The Pokemon seemed to be in a bit of distress. Obviously he knew that the other lake Pokemon were in danger, but his duty to stay in the lake kept him from doing anything.

One Lanturn got in front of Uxie and the other behind him. A light glow surrounded both Pokemon as they used Charge to raise their special defenses in case Uxie reacted, and to make sure their next attack would be powerful. The two yellow spheres on the tip of their antenna began to glow then they fired their powered up Charge Beam.

Uxie let out a cry of despair as he tried to clear his thoughts and figure out what was happening. When he looked into the eyes of the Lanturn ahead of him, he noticed that its eyes seemed to be glowing, leaving him confused. "U...xie?" he mumbled. When he tried to launch an attack, he felt like something had stabbed him in the back, but it was really just the effect of Thunder Wave.

With Uxie paralyzed and confused, both Pokemon then used Psybeam to carry him to the surface. This had been too easy. Azelf had put up one tough fight, and Mespirit was pretty tough too, but Uxie was almost as weak as a Caterpie!

Once at the surface, Saturn grabbed a yellow and black pokeball that had been in his pocket and tossed it at the weakened legendary. In seconds Uxie was caught.

Dawn smiled and turned towards Barry and Damion, who were still trapped by Psychic. "Thanks for your time boys. We'll be seeing you later...or not." She said, adding a little wink to her latter statement, hoping that they would realize that she was still on their side for the most part. But to her it looked like they hadn't noticed.

When they were a good distance away from the trainers, the Pokemon that had been keeping them back freed them. "Magmortar," the large Pokemon grumbled. "Go ahead Saturn, I need to heal Crobat before we can fly." Dawn said, releasing her injured bat Pokemon. "Okay, I have to go get Ambipom though so you may want to hurry." He said before releasing his transportation Honchkrow. Once him and all but one grunt left, Dawn pulled out a potion from her bag and shivered a bit.

She didn't mind the cold, but in her summer clothes it wasn't that comfortable. The grunt that had stayed behind, pretending he was having trouble with his Staraptor, grinned before making his way over to the commander. When Dawn turned around, she looked up at him and smiled.

He offered his hand to help her stand. She took his offer to stand then went in to hug him. "I'm so glad that you're alright Lucas." She whispered into his shirt, feeling him laugh a bit. "But there's one thing I don't understand." She said, looking up at him. "What's that?" He asked with this usual smile. "You're not a commander and you're not a grunt. How exactly did that work out?"

"Simple. After integrating me for hours, I finally came to an agreement with Saturn. I'll give him all the information he wants if he let me join Team Galactic. Though, I was very clear that I refused to dye my hair any weird shade of green and get a bowl cut. He said it was a fair enough deal and allowed it. I went through a quick judgment battle against him and with the help of my new Pokemon I did all right. I didn't win, but it was enough to impress him. So now I'm just a higher up grunt. Not quite a commander, but almost an admin I guess you could say." He explained.

Dawn replied with "ah," before leaning back into him. A light chirp came from Staraptor, her way of telling Lucas that she was getting cold. He flickered his eyes back to her before looking back at Dawn.

Just as a gust of wind blew, knocking down snow to make it look like it was snowing, he moved in to kiss her. However, Crobat would have none of this. He flew up and began to swat his wings at Lucas's head, forcing him away from Dawn. After a sound that resembled a hiss, Crobat flew over to a rock that was a short distance away. "Guess Crobat doesn't like me," Lucas said, rubbing the spot that Crobat had swatted.

"I'm so sorry! Crobat!" Dawn said before turning towards the guilty bat. He looked away as if nothing had happened, making Dawn sigh. "I guess we better get going since Crobat is acting up...but first," Dawn said, ending in a curious tone. She didn't know what it was, but something reminded her of what Charlotte had said to her a few days ago, and now wondered if it was true.

She softly turned around and looked at Lucas with soft eyes then walked a little closer towards him. She carefully moved her right hand up to his cheek and used the back of her fingers to trace his cheek to the back of his jaw and watched as his eyes widened a bit. She then used her fingers to move down his jawbone then let two fingers linger under his chin. Then she moved in to where it looked like she was going to kiss him, but quickly moved to peck him on the cheek.

She giggled a bit since he seemed to be frozen in that spot with the same expression. "C'mon Crobat." She beckoned. The bat Pokemon flew up in the air to gain some momentum so he could carry Dawn. "I'll see you back at headquarters," she said with a wink as Crobat flew just to where she could get a hold of his feet so they could fly.

Lucas just stood there for a few more minutes before Staraptor got angry and lightly pecked his shoulder. He shook his head a bit, snapping himself out of the little fixation. "Whoa...I don't know what that was...but that was...interesting." He said with a small smile. Staraptor just rolled her eyes as her trainer climbed upon her back. He was such a klutz when it came to emotions, and it just seemed to get worse when he finally got involved with Dawn. Oh well. He was happy, and that was all that really mattered.

**By now Dawn and Crobat had made good time with the winds in their favor.** When the mountains that divided Sinnoh came into view Dawn laughed a bit. "I guess Charlotte was right." Crobat looked down at his trainer and gave a sigh noise. Humans were such odd creatures. Get together, make an egg, and get it over with! At least, for Crobat that's how things were supposed to work...

* * *

_**A/N:: So yup. Chapter fourteen. My longest chapter yet. 12 pages on microsoft word. And silly Crobat! It doesn't quite work that way xD haha. Comedy relief Crobat...kinda. lol. but yeah. I do treat even the genderless pokemon as if they have genders. Azel and Uxie I see as males, and Mespirit as a female. **_

_**I have no clue when the next chapter will be out since Band Camp is about to start and that means less time to work. D: oh well. I will hopefully enjoy Band Camp :D **_

_**Till Later**_

_**~Cynthia.**_

_**Oh, and that last little bit with Dawn doing that thing to Lucas, it came from what happened to my friend Brandon. Some girl did the exact same thing to him and he was all wide-eyed and like "Whoa! That was like amazing! It was all tingly! Do it again!" and yeah. My tribute my my friend Brandon xD Because it kinda fit in since I think Dawn needs to show a little dominance in the relationship xD  
**_


	15. The Torn World I 'The Return of Luxray'

Holy crud...This is my longest chapter yet! Almost ten thousand words! Wow.

Chapter Fifteen

The Torn Word I

(The Return of Luxray)

[Chapter rating- PG13 for Saturn's potty-mouth xD]

* * *

**A bitter wind bit at the girl's cheeks and ruffled her long blonde hair. **Taking in a deep breath and blinking her gray eyes, she looked over at the ground dragon that stood tall beside her. It was easy to see that the dragon didn't like the cold very much, but she knew what was ahead, so she couldn't afford to back down now.

A light explosion went off in the distance. From what the girl could tell, it was the result of two powerful attacks colliding. "At this rate she'll reach us in less than an hour..." she said, shifting her gaze from the Pokemon beside her to the ruins above her. Some of Team Galactic had already gathered, and if she was correct they only needed the Adamant Orb to complete the process. Palkia, the rules of space, had already been summoned, but the girl knew that if she wanted to do anything, she would delay the delivery of the final orb.

"Garchomp," the dragon muttered. A lone figure stood at the base of the stairs, but it was difficult to tell if it was the girl or not, but easy to tell that the person was battling Aaron. "Aaron, I know you're Vespiquen is powerful, that is why you are an Elite Four member, but be careful. I was wrong to doubt that girls suspicions. She is very powerful."

Garchomp gave a light growl before roaring at the valley below her. It had been awhile since she had battled, and she was now itching to sink her teeth into the enemy...

* * *

_Earlier in the day... _

_

* * *

_

**A light laugh filled the small meeting room filled with grunts, a few admin, and two commanders. **"I'm serious! It's always 'Master Cyrus' this, and 'Master Cyrus' that! We need to get her a t-shirt that says 'Master Cyrus' Number One Fan'! I mean Mars practically kisses the ground he walks on!" Dawn continued, receiving a little more laughter from everyone around her. She then looked at Saturn who was standing next to her. He was shaking his head, but it was obvious that he was trying not to laugh. She nudged him with her arm. "Oh come on _Stephen_. Quit being so grumpy and laugh a little!"

He didn't laugh, but a look of horror ran across his face. "How in Arceus' name did you find out my actual name...?" He asked. A few snickers waved through the room. Saturn was actually Stephen. How funny. "Like I'm going to tell you Stephen."

The commander blushed out of anger. With the grunts laughing at him, he felt less than superior around them, and that was pretty much all he had. He cleared his throat a bit to signal them to be quiet. "Now that comedy hour is over," he started in an angry tone. "We need to get down to business. The real reason you were all chosen to gather here was because we needed a separate team to deliver the Adamant Orb to summon Dialga at The Spear Pillar atop of Mount Coronet.

"Cyrus and the other commanders have already left but Mars has contacted me and stated that we now have company. In order for the plan for a new universe to succeed we need both Dialga and Palkia, and maybe even the third unknown Pokemon of time. The company she was talking about was all of Sinnoh's Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and the champion. I've gathered the best of the grunts and our admin to journey with us to the summit. Though, not all of you will make it to the summit since we will need a few of you to stay behind to keep the Gym Leaders busy. We leave in one hour so hurry up and get ready." Saturn explained.

All the grunts nodded and then hurried out of the room to gather their Pokemon. Even though they were just grunts, they all felt a little more spring in their step. Knowing that Commander Saturn thought that they were the strongest out of the grunts seemed to mean a lot to them. "I would like all admin to stay behind for a moment so I can speak to them. Rhea, make sure you have all of your Pokemon with you since this is most likely to be our final mission." He ordered.

Dawn nodded then left the room, still smiling. Knowing his actual name could certainly prove to be useful later on. But now one final thing to do: put an end to this. Team Galactic was about to face their downfall. And, she felt like she had to return all her badges to the gym leaders.

She hurried to her room where all her Pokemon were sitting. "Well guys, this looks like our final mission. Time to put everything into effect since we've delayed it for way to long!" She announced, receiving a smile from all of the Pokemon.

"You'll be putting what into action? Planning to destroy Team Galactic huh commander?" A devious voice asked. Dawn immediately froze. She had forgotten to close her door, so any grunt, admin, or even Saturn could have heard her. There was only one thing to do: make sure this person stayed quiet. "Infernape make sure he doesn't leave!" She ordered.

The fire ape quickly stood up and nimbly made his way over to the person. "Goodness Dawn, don't overreact so much!" The person who turned out to be a grunt yelled. Dawn was confused by this grunt. For whatever reason she was able to remember who was who in the mass spectrum of grunts, but this grunt didn't seem familiar in any way, yet at the same time he was also familiar. "Alright who are you?" She questioned in a serious tone. "Come now, you don't remember me?" He asked with a slight grin.

A trickle of sweat rolled down the side of the grunts face. The heat from the Infernape behind him was really beginning to turn up, and he guess this was due to anger. "Like I'm supposed to know every grunt that works here." She hissed. Infernape tightened his grip on the male's hands, feeling Dawn's anger rise. With Dawn's anger rising, it was also able to affect Infernape. Meaning, the angrier she got, the angrier he got. "I was worried that Team Galactic had changed you. You seemed like such a sweet young lady when we first met, and yet here you threatening me within an inch of my life because I overheard your little declaration to your Pokemon." He spoke, making Dawn reflect on her recent attitude.

She sighed, before her expression softened. "Infernape let him go." The ape released his grip on the male but kept his position. Knowing the grunts around here he would try to run off. The grunt smiled as he rubbed his wrists. "I...guess I'm sorry." Dawn mumbled with an ashamed expression.

He laughed a bit. "Don't worry about it. At least I now know to never get in a struggle with an Infernape. He seems to have gotten a lot tougher since the last time we met. It was only...less than two months since I last saw you at the ruins." He said, hoping that his last statement would remind her of who he was.

And it worked. She immediately realized why he did and didn't seem familiar. "Looker?" She asked in a somewhat hushed tone. He nodded. "Of course. I need to ask one thing of you: get me on your next mission. I heard a few grunts talking about it and I would like to assist you if possible." She nodded at his simple request. "Sure, some of the grunts might notice but I guarantee Saturn wont notice since he's completely oblivious to who's who around here."

* * *

**"Okay, as you all know we are to deliver the Adamant Orb to the summit but obviously there are going to be people who will try to stop us.** We are going to have six other orbs that will be fake but look like the real thing. All admin will carry one while Dawn- I mean Rhea has the actual one. Everyone except Lucas is now dismissed." He quickly explained. Once the five other admin had left the room, Saturn returned his attention to Lucas. "I still don't trust you." He stated. "And I don't trust you." Lucas replied.

Saturn smirked. "I do envy you however." He stated in a more civil tone. Lucas smiled a bit. Saturn was too easy to read. "Let me guess: you like Dawn don't you?" He guessed. "Now did I ever mention that?" He asked. "Well there's not much else for you to envy. I'm not a great battler, I have no really rare Pokemon other than one, and even then she's not that rare, I'm only a year younger than you are; so that only leaves Dawn to the equation."

"You're very good at interpreting things, but I assure you that I do not like Dawn in the way you think. I completely respect her in every aspect. What I do envy is the fact that she likes you so much. Most of the time during our battle and combat training I'd catch her off guard since she was staring off and earlier today I couldn't catch her off guard no matter how hard I trued. I guarantee it's because of your presence. Dawn's a very nice girl and I hope you don't let her go easily. She's very fond of you, and I'd hate to see her hurt."

Lucas smirked. "Trust me, you don't have to tell me twice Stephen." At the mentioning of his name, the commander sighed. "Though I am going to have to kill her for telling everyone my name." He grumbled, making Lucas laugh a bit. He knew that Saturn wasn't serious, but on the off chance that he did try anything, he would certainly put an immediate stop to it.

* * *

**The hour had passed, giving Dawn more than enough time to change into her scarlet winter clothes; **deciding that it would be a more comfortable journey than being in a dress. The journey ahead of them looked to be a long one. Rising and falling hills, and atop their mountain destination was Spear Pillar, where dark, swirling clouds could be seen.

With Saturn on her right, Lucas at her left, and the numerous admin and grunts behind her, they began their journey to the summit. "Bastiodon, Stone Edge!" A loud voice ordered. Sharp stones seemed to fly in their direction out of nowhere, nearly missing everyone. "Whirlpool!" Another, younger sounding voice called. A bright flash shined at the top of the cliffs before a giant whirlpool flooded onto the field. "Croagunk, absorb that attack!" The admin carrying a Croagunk with them ordered as they released the poison frogs.

The frogs stacked on top of one another and used their ability Dry Skin to completely absorb the attack. A bit of water escaped, but merely left a few droplets of water on Dawn's clothes. "Up there!" Dawn called, pointing at the cliff's left side. "Everyone, use Rock Smash!" One admin ordered.

All the Croagunk rushed to the base of the cliff and began to rapidly punch at the rock. After a few good punches, the face of the cliff crumbled just enough to where two people and their large Pokemon fell from their spot. Dawn smiled when she realized who the trainers were. Two large dinosaur-like Pokemon shook themselves off before resuming their battle stances. "Oh sure, hide up high! They won't notice. Great work dad." The younger male with cordovan brown hair and eyes said sarcastically.

Dawn inwardly sighed at the sight of the gym leaders, but particularly at the gym leader with the Rampardos. "Oh great," she mumbled. The sight of gym leaders didn't exactly worry her. She had beaten them before so she was confident that she could do it again, but it was the sight of a certain gym leader that worried her. "It just had to be Roark..." Dawn heard Lucas mumble. After a quick breath, Dawn calmed herself and began to address the leaders. "Roark, Byron. It's good to see you two again." She said with a proud smile.

The younger of the two leaders looked at the young girl ahead of him and gave her a dumbfounded expression. "I know I said I looked forward to the day I saw you again, I just wish they weren't under these circumstances." He said just loud enough for Dawn to barely hear him. "Sorry Roark. Guess you should have taken Selene's word a little more seriously." She replied in a tone that almost made it sound like a question. Saturn was about to ask Dawn what she meant by that, but decided that it was a question that could be answered later. "How did you know that I knew...?" Roark asked.

"Eh, I'll be honest. I just said that for the dramatic effect since Selene seemed to be telling everyone about whatever was going to happen." Dawn admitted with a smile. Lucas grinned at her comment, looked to the ground and shook his head, then looked calmly up at the gym leaders. "If you would kindly step aside, we'll be on our way."

Roark looked at him for a moment, confused. The boy was certainly familiar, but he couldn't quite place him. "Okay, if that's how it's going to be." The older gym leader spoke in a mild tone. Roark looked over at his father. "Giving up so easily? Dad you're so typical." He grumbled, trying not to give away their plan. They weren't really there to battle. Rampardos' Whirlpool attack was not really meant to be the attack. It was the signal that they had arrived.

With the grunts keeping an eye on the leaders, the commanders quickly passed and began to make their way to the next gym leader challenge. "She's strong, but gullible." Byron commented with a smirk. Roark however could not join in on his slight victory. Something was telling him that there was something they were overlooking. Something missing to this equation.

The sound of wings flapping attracted the young leaders attentions. A large purple bat landed atop the castle-shaped head of Bastiodon, but due to the sheer thickness of said Pokemon's head, he didn't even feel it. A folded piece of paper was held in its mouth, and he seemed to be asking them to take the note. After glancing at his father, Roark grabbed the note and once unfolded, two badges fell out. The badge shaped like a Poke Ball and a boulder combined along with the badge that looked like three pickaxes atop of a boulder. Also known as the Oreburgh Coal Badge and the Canalave Mine Bade. "Badges?" Byron inquired. "Yeah," Roark absent-mindedly replied as he looked back to the letter.

"They're the badges we gave to Dawn. She says she wants to give them back since she thinks she is no longer worthy of them. And something about her wanting to make this up to us some day..." A cool wind blew through the area and a worried expression took control of Roark's face. "I think we've made a mistake."

* * *

**Dawn shivered as the cold wind brushed against her pale skin.** With the wind came large yellow tinted cotton balls. At first sight of these, Lucas put his arm out to stop Dawn. "Dawn, don't let those touch you." He warned with a grave expression. She looked at him with questioning blue eyes. "Why?" She asked, but Saturn was the one to answer her. "This is Cotton Spore mixed with Stun Spore. The Cotton Spore makes you drowsy and it's almost a high effect I guess you could say. In battle it only affects a Pokemon's speed, but in humans it will cause deliria, strong hallucinations, and in rare cases fainting plagued by horrendous nightmares and amnesia. How do I know this? I've been in under its effect. The Stun Spore will make you temporarily stunned, and it probably heightens the effects of Cotton Spore." Saturn calmly explained, though cringing at the horrible memory of the person who put him in the way of this attack mixture many years ago.

Lucas began to think of what to do. Staraptor could use Defog to clear it, but that would only push the Cotton Spore mixture further into the canyon, making it more concentrated in one area. But that gave him a simple idea. If they couldn't move the spore, they could kill it. "Alright, what we need to do is-"

"Aura Sphere!" Someone yelled, interrupting Lucas mid-explanation. A large ball of blue aura hurdled towards everyone, stirring up the spore, and also coating itself in the dangerous toxin. It just barely missed Dawn, and had she been any taller it would have hit her. "Move and the next one hits you dead on!" A young female shouted ahead of them. Through the spore fog the outline of two people could be seen, along with two Pokemon. One was obviously a Lucario, and the other was not easy to see.

"You gym leaders just won't give up will you?" Saturn asked as a distraction while Lucas gave orders to a few of the admin. Three of the admin nodded their heads then rolled two Poke Ball's each away from the cloud of spore. "I think one of them is Maylene, and the other...I think it's Gardenia. I'm not positive, but it's a good guess with all this spore." Dawn commented.

Saturn smirked. "Go ahead, take us out. Though, what kind of reputation will that leave you with? You'll be known as the gym leader who killed someone." He questioned.

The young gym leader visually stiffened. She knew it would be for the good of Sinnoh and possibly the world, but inside she knew she would never be able to bring herself to harm another human. "Don't listen to him. He's just trying to intimidate you." The older female beside her spoke. The little blue and white cottonseed Pokemon began to bounce up and down a bit, waving her cotton puffs that were about as large as her blue body around. Her red, beady eyes blinking rapidly with each bounce. "Jum...Pluff!" She cheered. "Maylene, get Lucario to mix his Water Pulse with Jumpluff's Cotton Spore. We need to hit them this time. The sooner they're taken out, the sooner we can end this." The orange and black haired gym leader spoke.

Maylene timidly nodded her head. "Alright, if you say so Gardenia...Lucario, use Water Pulse!"

"Jumpluff, mix Cotton Spore into his Water Pulse!" Gardenia followed. Normally for Aura Sphere, Lucario would build the energy at his side, but for this move he built it in front of him. The little blue Pokemon jumped to glide over to Lucario and began to shake her cotton spore arms at the water move. Many spore particles began to mix in with the move, and when Lucario fired it at the humans ahead of him it also began to collect the Stun Spore.

Before Dawn had any time to react, the move hit her, knocking her to the ground. The group of Team Galactic members gasped as they watched Dawn try to stand up. The water had drained most of the power from Cotton Spore, but the effects from both the power of Water Pulse and Stun Spore had taken its toll. Most of her limbs felt numb and it felt like somebody was shocking her every time she tried to move.

Without a word Lucas dropped down to her level, put his arm around the back of her shoulders to support her up, but he couldn't think of what to do. Normally he was a quick thinker, but situations like this were not his specialty. "Now, use Icy Wind!" One of the grunts ordered. A loud 'caw' noise filled the air, along with a mass amount of frozen air mixed with snow. When the snow made contact with the spore, it froze, and it lost all of its toxicity.

Saturn only looked on with horror. Sympathy pain tugged at his chest as he watched Dawn try to stifle her cries of pain. Tears were beginning to form at the corner of her eyes, and this set something off in Saturn. He swiftly turned around and faced the now visible leaders. Grabbing two Poke Ball's out of his pocket, he began to address them. "Nobody, I mean _nobody_ messes with her. I will make you two regret the day you were born!" He yelled, tossing the two Poke Balls. His Ambipom and another Pokemon appeared in a flash.

Normally he would send out his Toxicroak since that was his signature Pokemon, but his anger obscured his judgment. This Pokemon tended not to listen to him unless he was in a good mood, and luckily for Saturn, he was in a good mood. "Dosi-rior!" The huge brownish-gray Pokemon snorted. His angry red eyes landed on the distant females, but to him they just looked like blurs. He pounded his three-fingered rock fists together before shouting his name. "Rhyperior!" His call seemed to echo through the canyon.

"Ambipom, use Rock Smash to give Rhyperior some ammo. When she's done use Rock Blast!" Saturn ordered. The Long Tail Pokemon giggled before rushing over to a large boulder and rapidly began to pound it with her two long tails. Once there was enough ammo for Rhyperior's liking, he picked up the large rocks then threw them at the opponent.

Dawn's eyes seemed to now hold a glossy look to them, and she was blinking heavily. "Dawn, stay awake." Lucas encouraged. She shook her head, resulting in a sharp pain coursing through her spine. The pain hurt so much that it made her whole body go numb, and she fainted. "Dawn, no you have to stay awake!" Lucas said in dismay. After assuring himself that she wasn't going to wake up for awhile, he turned to Saturn. "You said you've been affected by this before. What do we do?" He asked. Saturn kept his angry gaze ahead of him. "I don't exactly remember. Those three days are still a blank to me." He spoke.

Lucas' level of worry rose, but then one of the females in the circle around him spoke up. "I-if I remember correctly, certain Pokemon might be able to cure her. Pokemon that can manipulate aura like Riolu and Lucario. This probably isn't much help since none of us have any of those Pokemon..." she said, barely above a whisper. Lucas seemed to get an idea at that piece of information. "No," he mumbled, grabbing a Poke Ball from his side. Instead of a standard Poke Ball, this Poke Ball was black and yellow. The Pokemon inside he hadn't used in quite some time. "Lucario lets go." He said, releasing the aura Pokemon.

"Cari?" The female Lucario mumbled. Confusion was evident in her eyes. _"Master?"_ She asked, using her telepathy to communicate with Lucas. "Lucario, you need to help Dawn. She's been affected by a deadly spore attack." He quickly explained. Lucario nodded before looking down at the female by her feet.

Her eyes widened. _ "Mistress...forgive me. I was supposed to keep you and Master protected."_ She thought to herself as she bent down on one knee, blue aura emitting from her paws. Dawn began to fidget a bit, as the aura coating Lucario's paws grew brighter. The water that once clung to Dawn's hair and clothes dried, and the spore residue disappeared.

Dawn's eyes began to flutter open then she quickly sat up. "Who are you? What happened?" She asked, before placing a hand on the side of her head. "Uhh, my head..." She grumbled. When she again opened her eyes, she noticed the Lucario standing over her. "Need a hand?" Someone asked in an endearing tone, extending their hand to help Dawn stand. Accepting the offer, Dawn stood up then tried to assess the situation. Everything was a blank. She knew she was here for a reason, and she knew that these people had some sort of significant meaning, but what? "Are you alright?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah...but who exactly are you?" She asked. This question confused Lucas. Surly she was joking. "Very funny Dawn." He said with a bit of an edge. "No...I'm being serious. Who are you?" She asked before taking a quick look around her. All these people who looked alike...it was funny yet at the same time creepy. "Ambipom, use Fire Punch on Lucario while Rhyperior uses Rock Wrecker!" Saturn yelled.

Saturn's voice made Dawn blink in confusion. His voice to her was very familiar. "Saturn...?" She mumbled, looking past Lucas. "Wait," Lucas said in a sigh. "You remember Saturn, but not me?" He asked. Dawn nodded timidly. "But I'm supposed to remember you...aren't I?"

A horrible pain tugged at Lucas' heart. It didn't make sense for her to remember practically nobody except for Saturn. Why did she remember him? She was never involved with him and there couldn't have been any emotional bonds strong enough to remember him by...unless there were things she hadn't told him. "Lucario, what's happening?" He harshly asked the Aura Pokemon. She shrugged in reply.

_"I don't know. This is most likely only going to last a few minutes at most. It could be she was just allergic to Cotton Spore and Stun Spore. If I knew I certainly would have told you Master Lucas."_ Lucario answered giving him a soft expression. "Something might jog her memory you know." One of the male grunts spoke up. Everyone turned their attentions on him. "You know, emotional bonds and stuff. She probably remembers Saturn because they had a pretty serious argument awhile back. I dunno your relationship to her, and I don't know how far back she remembers, but something should trigger it." He explained, crossing his arms. Everyone just continued to stare at him.

Feeling everyone's stares began to make him nervous. "What, I've been forced to watch a lot of chick-flicks and that always seems to be the theme..." His statement made the other admin laugh a bit, but Lucas was still in a mixture of anger and sorrow, and Dawn was still confused. "I think he means you should kiss her Lucas." One of the admin snickered. A light blush overtook Lucas' cheeks.

"You better not! I don't even know you!" Dawn threatened, wide-eyed. Everyone continued snickering. "I could use some back up here!" Saturn yelled. "Make Rhea go battle. Maybe that will help her remember. Besides, none of us are really allowed to battle alongside him or something like that...just go do that!" The only female admin encouraged.

Dawn once again blinked in confusion. "Battle...I'm not exactly supposed to be battling. My family is known for being Contest Champions." She explained. "Uh, about that Dawn. You've kinda already won plenty of gym badges and your mother is angry, and now is really not the time to explain what has happened in the past few months."

This didn't settle Dawn's thoughts. Then again, there was something familiar about this, almost too familiar. When the green-haired guy called her Rhea it seemed to trigger a few memories, but nothing significant. "Look out!" Saturn warned.

Without a word, the group of admin jumped out of the way of the oncoming aura attack, but Dawn was so confused that she couldn't move. She tried to scream, but her nerves weren't allowing her to. Only a muffled squeak sound passed her lips before realizing that the attack hadn't hit her. Lucas' Lucario had used her move Psychic to control the attack. After a small grunt, the Aura Pokemon swung the opposing Lucario's Aura Sphere into a boulder. "I wish I understood why you all are taking so long." Saturn yelled in a demanding voice. Two of the admin decided that it would be best that someone go help him. Just in time for their Murkrow to fly back to them, they headed off. "Get over here!" Lucas said angrily as he grabbed Dawn roughly by her arm and dragged her over to the cover of one of the many large boulders.

Without any resistance she followed him but just stared at him. He seemed to get more familiar, but all she could remember seemed to be just images and almost fantasies. Strange. "Hey, I've got a question." She spoke. "What?" He asked, peering out from the rock with Lucario peering at the other side. "We're dating aren't we...?" She asked with a slight blush. Lucas looked back at her and got a little nervous. "Well, kinda, I mean..." he mumbled. In truth he never officially asked her out, but he just assumed that it was an understood thing that they were dating.

He watched as her expression grew to a whole new level of nervousness. "D-don't tell me we're 'friend with benefits'..." Lucas couldn't help but grin. "Not even close. I don't believe in those kind of relationships." Actually for Lucas this was a major understatement. Friends with benefits relationships to him were utterly disgusting and very degrading. "Well, that's a relief." Dawn said with a shy smile. "That, and part of me is intimidated by you." He admitted, confusing Dawn. "Mind if I ask why?"

"Well, I've seen you slap Barry, and you've slapped me before and there's really only one other physical pain that's worse than that." He spoke, remembering the time at the Veilstone City Double Contest. Once again, something clicked in what he said to make Dawn remember a few things. "I...I remember that! Wow, I'm beginning to remember a lot of things now. I remember meeting you at Lake Verity and everything up to the contest. I take it we worked things out?" She continued. Lucas smirked. "No, we still hate one another. We're just here because we hate each other that much." He said, full of sarcasm.

A light giggle filled the air. "Well, I guess this is a start. I-"

_"Master!"_ Lucario howled, hurrying to shove Lucas back towards Dawn. Using Psychic, she then tried to block the other Lucario's Aura Sphere, but getting Lucas out of the way didn't give her much time to channel her strength. Though, her physical strength was enough to toss Lucas almost right on top of Dawn. She was now against the rock wall, and Lucas had to hold himself off of the rock wall so he wouldn't completely be crushing her. But, he was close enough for Dawn to smell his cologne, and that was the final thing Dawn needed to get her memory up to the present.

It came almost in a flash, and how she managed to forget all of those past events was beyond her. At that moment, time seemed to stand still. Even though danger was apparent around them, Dawn couldn't help but see this as a near perfect moment. Her memory finally came back, and they were in a slightly intimate position. "Guess what." She said, smiling a bit. "What?" Lucas asked, not moving from his spot.

Instead of saying anything, Dawn leaned up and kissed him lightly then moved to whisper something. "I finally remember everything." She breathed. _ "Master, there appears to be more Gym Leaders heading this way. A ghost trainer and a water trainer it seems. Not very tough looking Pokemon, but we should probably go assist the Commander." _Lucario grunted.

Most of the remaining gym leaders came to assist Gardenia and Maylene. Crasher Wake, Fantina, and even the Sunnyshore Gym leader Volkner arrived to help. Lucas and the rest of the admin stayed behind to distract them while Dawn and Saturn went ahead.

When the two came upon the base of the mountain they were met by a final gym leader near the ancient staircase leading to the top of the summit was dotted with many trainers and their Pokemon. "Double Blizzard!" The ever-familiar gym leader ordered. A large plant, ice monster and a larger form of Sneasel both took in a deep breath then spat a mass amount of icy snow at the two commanders. Dawn managed to evade most of the attack, only her arm receiving any damage, but Saturn was the unfortunate one. Ice formed around most of his frame, almost in a straightjacket fashion, making him incapable of any movement. Only Dawn had Pokemon available to her since Saturn's had become severely injured in the last battle. "Infernape, Arcanine!" Dawn called; releasing the two fire Pokemon, knowing full well that she would have the type advantage.

The black-haired gym leader grinned. "You would try to use the type advantage." She scoffed. Dawn raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, glancing from the gym leader over to Saturn. "Arcanine, free Saturn." She quickly ordered. "Ah-ah-ah! Not so fast. Wood Hammer!"

The behemoth ice Pokemon's green tipped hands began to blow turquoise and with great speed he ran at Arcanine, knocking him out cold. The force of the attack left a little recoil damage to Abomasnow, but not enough to keep him from continuing this battle. "Now use Ice Punch on Dawn!" The ice specialist ordered. Ice now coated the Pokemon's fist and he tried to attack Dawn, but Infernape used Mach Punch on the ice grass Pokemon's fist to make him miss. "Infernape, use Flamethrower!" Dawn quickly ordered.

Flames billowed out of Infernape's mouth, singing Abomasnow. His double weakness to fire, and the previous recoil damage left him very weak. Arcanine began to fidget again, signaling that he wasn't completely out for the count. "Arcanine, use Morning Sun!" The fire canine's fur began to glow in a dull light, but his strength wasn't to where he could use moves to their fullest potential. "Infernape, use Bulk Up!" Dawn ordered.

Infernape took in a deep breath and a light pink aura surrounded him, raising his attack and defense.

Candice huffed and muttered something under her breath. "Fine then, Weavile, show time. Use Faint Attack on Dawn. If she can hurt me using Pokemon then I have the right to hurt her back." Weavile used his hooked claws to salute Candice then raced off in the blink of an eye.

Quickly he rushed over to Dawn, not making a sound. However, he overlooked the fact that Arcanine was still charging power. "Arch!" Arcanine yelped, slamming himself into the oncoming Weavile. Luckily he had built up enough health to manage to use ExtremeSpeed, and his mostly limp body kept him pinned to the ground. "Thank you Arcanine! Infernape, use Flame Wheel!" Dawn said, hoping that this move would finish off the ice Pokemon so she could go help Saturn. "Wood Hammer!"

Both attacks collided, leaving almost a mist in the area from the snow on Abomasnow melting when it collided with Flame Wheel. Weavile finally wriggled out from underneath Arcanine and using his Keen Eye ability, he saw through the mist to where Dawn was.

Just when he was about to leave, Arcanine used his fangs to grab a hold of the Sharp Claw Pokemon's leg. "Weavile!" Weavile hissed, scratching at Arcanine's nose. A low growl arose in Arcanine's throat, but he was still far to weak to do anything else. "Dawn you better watch out! She could have more Pokemon with her you know!" Saturn warned, straining to break free from his ice-straightjacket. The coldness was beginning to feel like it was burning. It was only a matter of minutes before it turned into frostbite.

A harsh wind blew, and once the mist cleared rain began to fall from the sky in a heavy downpour, and after a low rumble, a bright flash of lighting fell to the ground, sending powerful sound waves through everyone. The force of the sound waves was at just the right pitch to make the ice around Saturn shatter.

Abomasnow took this opportunity to attack the stunned Infernape, and Weavile had ripped his foot from Arcanine's grasp. Finally he would execute the attack on Dawn. Today however, was not Weavile's luck. "Ruxxay!" A tiger-like Pokemon hissed, glowing in a red aura, running at Weavile then using his momentum to bounce off of Weavile and attack Abomasnow. "Abomasnow, Weavile!" Candice called in dismay.

Another roar sounded off from the Pokemon that protected Dawn. Electricity began to cloak the Pokemon. "Lux," he began, still charging. "Ray!" The Thunderbolt attack he had been building, he fired into the sky, which seemed to do nothing. Though, a very foreboding feeling swept over Candice. In a flash, electricity fell from the sky with twice the power that was sent up, and paraded onto the unsuspecting gym leader. All her nerves were shot, and she felt like this pain lasted a thousand years, when in actuality it only lasted about three seconds.

Dawn could only watch in horror as Candice then fell to the ground and the creature that had done that to her turned around. His blood-red angry eyes gazed at her...they were very familiar. This electric Pokemon was all too familiar. "Couldn't be," Dawn muttered. Abomasnow had knocked out Infernape, so now Dawn was an open target. This Luxray was the Luxray that had attacked her all those months ago back in Twinleaf Town when she first met Lucas.

A low rumble came from the Gleam Eyes Pokemon, but it wasn't an angry noise...it was a purr. Luxray was purring. "Dawn, are you alright?" A distant voice asked. After shaking her head to get herself out of her little trance, she turned around to answer. "Yeah!" She replied. In the distance, Lucas could be seen. "Okay, we're almost finished here, just keep Luxray with you!" He ordered.

Something about Luxray was still unnerving. He did after all try to kill her before, and this was something Dawn was having a hard time looking past. "S-Saturn are you alright?" Dawn asked as she timidly recalled her fainted Pokemon. "Yes, I'm going to go ahead to make sure no one else gets in our way. I-I'm tired of all this." He replied, shivering a bit. He didn't even take notice of the fainted Gym Leader as he passed her on his death-march to the next challenge. This worried Dawn. The fainted gym leader worried her even more. "Uh, Luxray, help me get her in a better spot." Dawn ordered. The large cat nodded his head and bounded up to the gym leader, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and then began to drag her towards the cliff walls.

"Y-you'll never get away with this Dawn, or whatever your name actually is." She grumbled, trying to sit up. "Candice don't." Dawn said, kneeling down to her level. She then pulled something out of her pocket and placed it in Candice's hand. "You were right. I don't deserve your badge. I am a disgrace to my whole family, the people around me, and myself. But, like I said, you don't know me, nor do you know the whole truth. I'm about to stop this, and once this is all over, I'll challenge you again but this time with honor, not trickery." She promised.

Candice looked at her with confused brown eyes. "Until you go through with that, I'll never believe you." She grumbled, making Dawn smile. She smiled in hopes that Candice would believe her. Candice was too adamant about her thoughts on Dawn, so no luck. A loud explosion sounded off in the direction that Saturn had headed.

Luxray growled a bit, signaling to move ahead. Without so much as another glance at Candice, Dawn left. When she got to where Saturn was, she noticed a tall lean male standing ahead of him with a large bee Pokemon. "Toxicroak, Poison Jab again!" Saturn ordered. The hooks on the bipedal frog's hands began to glow purple, with a sticky toxin dripping from their tips.

He used his powerful legs to jump at the bee, aiming for the thin thorax above her hive abdomen, knowing this was her weak point. "Oh please, use Defend Order again!" The green-haired elite battler ordered with confidence. The Beehive Pokemon's scarlet eyes began to glow in a deep shade of amber, and she released an inaudible screech, heard only by a certain member of her species. Out of nowhere, tiny honeycomb-like Pokemon dashed in front of their queen to protect her from the physical attack.

"Come on. Make this battle interesting at least. Poison Jab, seriously? Is that the only move your Toxicroak knows? Oh, who's that behind you?" He asked, moving a bit so he could view Dawn. After getting a good look at her he smiled. "Oh, she is positively adorable! She probably battles better than you too." He stated, grinning. This only made Saturn even angrier. How dare this girly-boy call him weak? "That's it lettuce-head!" Saturn hissed.

Aaron blinked. Lettuce-head... He then began to burst out laughing. "Lettuce-head? Really? Is that the best you can come up with? I've had kids in grade school call me worse names!" He laughed. His Pokemon Vespiquen too began to laugh, but it sounded more like a stifled hiss. "C'mon, get your little friend there to battle me! You suck beyond recognition!" Aaron again commented in a sassy tone.

A blush arose on Saturn's face due to his newfound hatred for the Elite Four member. Before he could give Toxicroak his next order, a loud call filled the valley. Dawn immediately recognized it to be the call of a Garchomp, so only one person came to mind: Cynthia. Aaron looked up near the summit, taking notice of the final dot, which had to be his superior Cynthia. "Bounce!" Saturn ordered taking this chance since Aaron wasn't paying attention. Toxicroak launched himself into the air and began to bounce around wildly, as to make sure they couldn't tell from which angle he would strike. "Combine it with Poison Jab and just show him how 'lame' it is." Saturn said, smirking.

Now a purple hue was added to the wild bouncing blur. "Defend Order!" Aaron frantically ordered. Vespiquen was too worried about where Toxicroak was to listen to her trainer. Watching him began to make her dizzy so she placed her hook claws on her head, letting Toxicroak attack. Again he aimed for her thorax, knocking her out in a single blow. "Ha, now who is the pathetic one Aaron?" Saturn asked in a chuckle. Aaron didn't reply. He was too stunned by his quick loss.

Though, he wasn't stunned enough to release another Pokemon. "Go Drapion! Avenge Vespiquen!" He yelled, releasing a giant purple scorpion. The scorpion began to race at Saturn and Dawn, but Luxray blocked him by headbutting him. "Luxray, use Return!" Lucas ordered as he rushed to Dawn's side.

The red aura from before cloaked Luxray's fur as he rushed at Drapion and bit his arm with great force. His fangs seemed to suck the energy from Drapion the longer he held his spot.

Once more, Aaron was too stunned, and this time he didn't call any more Pokemon out. Everyone took this opportunity to run past him to their next challenge. Lucas also took this time to explain to Dawn that Luxray had found him again at Lake Verity after she left and again attacked him. Though, he found the reason for Luxray's harsh behavior. His front claws had been chipped, leaving him unable to communicate with the Shinx and Luxio in his clan. His Camerupt then decided to show him a way to communicate by using stomps on the ground and throwing his weight around. Then after developing a friendship with Camerupt, he wanted to join him.

Selene then worked with him to learn the move Return since he seemed to have a very powerful connection with Lucas immediately. He then explained that his Lucario came from Iron Island where him, Barry, Selene, and Damion went to train for about two days. She appeared while they were training and she kept using her telepathy to tell Lucas that he was her destined master.

* * *

**Their long journey up to the summit was long and vigorous.** Everyone from the Elite Four was there to try to stop them. Lucian was particularly tough with his constant use of Reflect and Light Screen, but they managed to defeat him, however, Dawn was now down to only her Gabite and Crobat, but Crobat still hadn't returned from his delivery of the gym badges.

"I've been waiting." A female voice called, once everyone reached the break in the stairs where a tall female was waiting, a Garchomp at her side. "Cynthia, it's been awhile." Dawn nervously stated. Something about the cool, somber demeanor of Cynthia was really beginning to intimidate Dawn. And she so far had said only three words!

"Yes, it has hasn't it? Though, last time I saw you, you were on my side." She stated, a light breeze ruffling her hair. "Well, things change don't they Cynthia." Dawn replied, trying to match her calm tone. "I can't let you deliver the final orb." Cynthia said, Garchomp taking a step forward. "But I must." Dawn replied in a modest tone.

A smile appeared on Cynthia's face. "Then we battle. Garchomp, Dragon Rush!" Garchomp's tail began to glow slightly as he ran at Dawn's Gabite. Though this attack was powerful, it caused Garchomp's vision to blur a bit, making the accuracy bad. She clipped Gabite's stomach with the tip of her tail, and being a super-effective move, it hurt enough to leave a small red mark. Gabite, use Scary Face!" Dawn ordered.

Gabite's eyes began to glow yellow, a matching aura surrounding Garchomp. Her limbs felt heavy, slowing her movement. "Dragon Claw!"

"Do the same Gabite!" Both dragons raced at one another, claws glowing in a blue aura, colliding with great force, but Garchomp being of higher level, managed to shove Gabite a small distance away. "Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered. Again her tail began to glow and her vision blurred, but Dawn took notice of this and decided to use this to her advantage. "Dodge and use Dragon Claw at close range!"

Gabite jumped on Garchomp's glowing tail, surprising the larger dragon, then slashed at her face, but he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Garchomp was very pretty, and her strength Gabite found attractive, but she was deemed the enemy for right now, so he had no choice but to battle. "Great job Gabite!" Dawn praised.

A sharp pain surged through Gabite's chest. Almost like lightning in his chest, but being part ground type, he shouldn't feel any electrical moves. "Oh no," Cynthia muttered, her metallic gray eyes widening. "Garchomp, use Draco Meteor to stop him from evolving!" Cynthia shouted.

This surprised Dawn. How did Cynthia know that Gabite was about to evolve? A swirling orange light surrounded Garchomp as she fired a ball of orange light into the sky, which would normally explode, but something stopped it. "Shedinja, absorb that attack with Wonder Guard!" An unknown female voice shouted. A strange tan bug sped in from nowhere and used its body to absorb the attack, rendering it into nothing. Everyone looked up to where the Shedinja came from and noticed two people.

A shorter female with jet-black hair and a gothic-appearance stood high up on the cliffs ledge with a Arcanine at her side, and next to her was Barry with his Empoleon. "Barry?" Dawn yelled. "Hey Dawn!" He replied, wearing a bright grin. Another bright light appeared in the sky, and a thunderous call filled the air, almost at a crippling volume. Dialga, the rule of time, had summoned himself to Spear Pillar in an attempt to protect his counterpart Palkia. "Looks like we won't be needing the Adamant Orb after all. We'll let Gabite finish evolving then we'll leave." Saturn briefly explained, glancing over to the ground dragon that was beginning to take the form of a Garchomp.

"Gaa!" Gabite called before the light disappeared, reveling his new, taller figure. Unlike Cynthia's Garchomp, he was much, much taller. "Gar," Dawn's Garchomp growled in the direction of Cynthia's Garchomp, baring his fangs in a grin. Cynthia's Garchomp only passed a sigh noise then looked away. Males were such pests. "You're not getting past me you know." Cynthia spoke, still using a calm voice.

Dawn could barely think straight now. She was supposed to stop them, but as far as she could tell, it was too late. Dialga and Palkia had been summoned...but then again, there was that third orb that nobody explained the meaning to. Maybe there was still some time. Dialga let out another harsh cry as numerous attacks were ordered at him in an attempt to control him. "Just defeat her Dawn and we'll be on our way." Saturn ordered. Dawn shook her head.

"I guess I was going to have to tell you sooner or later. I might as well tell you now. I've been lying to you from the start. Granted, there were a few times I was willing to completely follow Team Galactic's plans, but in the end I'm still here to stop you. I can't let you destroy the world, or whatever the master plans were." Hearing this Saturn's expression softened. He was also at loss for words. He knew he should be furious that she had been lying, but he had his secrets too, and they were similar to the one she just shared. No matter what, he knew that he couldn't be mad at her either. After all, he was planning to overthrow Cyrus so he could disband all of this after what Cyrus had done to him many years ago. He began to laugh a bit. "I figured as much." He said.

Barry smirked a bit then looked at the girl beside him. "See Marley, told you she wasn't evil. You can't believe everything you hear now can you?" He asked. She blinked her emotionless blue eyes. "Perhaps but I suggest we hurry down there because we cant let all of this contin-" her voice was drowned out by a new harsh screech. Atop Spear Pillar a dark energy began to encircle it, shrouding everything from view. The mass then began to expand, stopping about fifty feet ahead of everyone. The harsh screech sounded off again, and a large creature seemed to be peering out from it. A serpent-like creature snaked out of the mass, its long black tentacle appendages glowing as a bright smirk appeared on the creature's face. "Grrrr, eeeeetina!" It screeched, using its long appendages to grab Saturn, Cynthia, Dawn, Lucas, and all their Pokemon, dragging them into its home dimension of the Torn World.

"Dawn!" Barry shouted in dismay, trying to scramble down the cliff, Empoleon ready to follow him. "Barry no!" Marley yelled, grabbing Barry's arm and giving him a pleading look. "Marley we have to go help!" He protested, falling down a bit, bringing Marley to her knees. She shook her head. "I like you way too much to go let you get yourself killed!" She replied, blushing slightly. "A-and it's not every day that I can say this! You know that!" She continued. Barry looked up at her, confusion clear in his orange eyes.

Marley let go of his arm, pulling her hands close and she then began to fiddle with her fingers. "I-it's in their hands now. I can try to send Shedinja in to see what's happening, but I doubt that it will work." Barry shook his head. She was right. There wasn't much they could do. "No, you can't send in Shedinja yet. His Focus Band isn't ready to activate."

A small smile appeared on Marley's face, which was a major deal in its own. She swore to herself that she'd never understand how Barry seemed to know when her Pokemon's items would activate. "What was that thing anyways?" Barry asked.

"I think it was a Giratina.

While their argument settled events in the Torn World already began to take place. The Renegade Pokemon Giratina had dropped everyone on a strange little island covered in odd-looking plants. When they awoke, three Pokemon were looking down upon them. "Azelf!" The being of willpower called when he noticed that Lucas had awoken. "Mespirit!" The Emotion Pokemon cheered when Dawn had awoken. When Cynthia began to stir, the being of knowledge nodded and went to help her stand. "Uxie," he muttered smiling once everyone was standing. "The lake Pokemon?" Saturn commented.

"Yes, you released them don't you remember?" A grumpy voice asked. Everyone turned around and noticed the Team Galactic boss Cyrus. Saturn crossed his arms in frustration. "I did do that. You had the Red Chain so there was no need for them any longer." He replied.

"You disappoint me boy. You've disappointed me all your pathetic eighteen years of life, coming upon nineteen soon. I'm ashamed of the fact that you and I are related." He said, scowling. The lake trio all glared at the leader as they formed a protective barrier in front of everyone. Cyrus only turned around. "Such wasted emotion being concerned for these weaklings. I always knew you two would turn on me. You make it very obvious."

Complete rage took over Saturn, forcing himself to shove past the lake guardians. "So that's how it's going to be huh? You're just going to abandon me again? Just like you abandoned me years ago with mother? It's your fault she's dead!" He raged. Cyrus ignored him and continued to walk away in search of Giratina. "Wait," Dawn quietly spoke. "Is Cyrus,"

"Yes. Cyrus, the twisted, emotionless, lying bastard leader of Team Galactic...is my father." Saturn said through gritted teeth. An unnerving silence followed before the shrill call of Giratina disrupted the calm.

* * *

**Yup...That was chapter fifteen. Teehee, I gave Saturn the actual name of Stephen. It's actually one of my favorite male names Again, I use waaaay too much author's liberty...**

**...Roark the perv is back xDD I don't know why, but I love his character as a perv. It just makes me happy ^~^**

**Yeeah...the amnesia thing...I wish I knew what I was thinking... I'm sorry. That probably was the least relevant thing ever next to a few other of my whimsical chapters xP**

**Oh yeah, what's up with me spacing pokeball? Apparently Poke Ball is spelled with a space between it...yeah, that's a tough habit to break xD**

**While I remember, why does Saturn have an Ambipom? I was a goofball the other day and bought some Pokemon Cards and it was Platinum Supreme Victors or something like that, and there was an Ambipom with Saturn's picture at the bottom and I went all fangirl crazy over the card and decided, hey, Ambipom would work! As for Rhyperior: In one of the manga series he has this pokemon and I am obsessed with Toxicroak, but he needed a different pokemon in addition to that one. And why yes, I did use part of Rhyperior's Japanese name, (ドサイドン Dosidon)**

**The one physical pain worse than a Dawn Slap...a kick where the sun don't shine x] That's what I was meaning to allude to, but obviously I didn't know how ot allude to that very well...**

**Aaah, Aaron. For some strange reason I love to imagine him as the cutest little gay boy. The stereotypical voice that's like "ooh girl your hair is so fine!" xD Sorry if I offend anyone by this...hopefully I don't but ya' never know these days.**

**Oh Candice...for some reason, she's becoming one of my favorite leaders. Haha. She's adorable and I love Abomasnow's =3**

**Cynthia...CYNTHIA! My favorite champion if you couldn't tell :3 haha. I certainly couldn't leave out her role in the Platinum Game**

**Sigh...I hated describing Marley the way I did...I hate the use of stereotypes and goth is no exception . I just couldn't find any other way to quickly explain her, and even then this was a pretty sucky job xP**

**Yup, remember way back in chapter _ in the Veilstone gym battle where Hitmontop's Razor Fang activated? Well yeah, Barry is good at telling when items will activate because...he's Barry and he's adorable like that :3**

**And am I sensing a little Barry X Marley? Maaaaybe. I just hate leaving Barry all alone and I personally think that they'd look cute together! ...hehe...**

**And for a final, dun dun freaken DUN! Cyrus...is Saturn's father!**

**Cyrus: Saturn...**

**Saturn:...**

**Cyrus: I am your father!**

**Saturn: NOOO!**

**Haha. Lame starwars references for the win!**

**One final thing I forgot to type earlier! **.com/#/d2v1rja **This amazing person on deviantArt drew this for Chapter Nine. My very first fanart and I love it! :D She is my new favorite online person (haha, sounding like a complete creeper for the win!)**


	16. The Torn World II 'Flashback'

Chapter Sixteen

The Torn World II

(Flashback)

[Chapter Rating- PG13 For language]

**Saturn could feel himself shaking.** Everything that he had worked to block from his memory suddenly flooded back with vengeance. Hot tears began to build at the corner of his eyes. "I...hate you," he hissed under his breath. When he felt Dawn's hand on his arm, he grabbed her wrist. "Just...leave me alone." He spoke, trying his best to not lash out at her. He knew she just wanted to help, but sympathy was one thing he couldn't handle right now. Letting go of her wrist, he then began to walk away in the same direction of Cyrus.

The pink Lake Guardian let out a soft whimper. As the Being of Emotion, she felt exactly how he felt. The blue guardian noticed this and placed his hand on her arm. "Azel," He said with a smile. She thanked him with a weak smile then turned to face the remaining humans. "Mes-Mesprit!" She chimed with newfound energy. Her counterparts chanted their names in a similar way.

Uxie sighed seeing as the humans did not understand them. Normally they could use telepathy to communicate with them, but in the Torn World this was not possible. That's when he decided to try the Pokemon that were still out of their capsules. "Uuuuxie?" The Knowledge Pokemon asked Cynthia's Garchomp. "Garch," she replied. "Uuuuuxie-xie?" He continued. "Garcho. Garchomp gar," Dawn's Garchomp spoke. When Azelf was about to insert himself into the conversation, a loud screech overshadowed his voice.

A large shadowy figure flew over everyone and just as quickly disappeared. The sight of the creature was enough for the lake trio to take off. In order to save these humans, they would need to speak with Giratina herself.

"Well...now what?" Lucas asked. No one replied. After considering their options, Cynthia spoke up. "Well, I suggest we take a look around. If I am correct we are in the world opposite of ours. I've only read theories about this place and it's been dubbed the Torn World. Giratina seems to be the master of this world so I guess we start searching for her, or him. Whichever." Cynthia decided.

Dawn's Garchomp perked up at this thought. This meant he would be able to be with Cynthia's Garchomp longer. Score. He walked over to her and hooked his arm with hers. "Chomp," he said grinning. She made a noise that resembled the hiss of a dying creature before roughly shoving him away. Rolling her eyes, she again wondered why males were such pests. "Uh, Garchomp. How about you go back in your Poke Ball?" Dawn offered, though more of a command.

Grabbing the Poke Ball from her backpack, she attempted to return him. Nothing happened. "I guess here we can't recall them. We may be able to release them, but we should be careful. As I said, not much is known about this place." Cynthia warned as she began to walk in the opposite direction of Saturn. Dawn's Garchomp looked over at Cynthia's Garchomp and grinned even wider. He was going to use this to his full advantage.

While everyone walked in silence they took notice that it didn't seem like they were really moving. Sure, logic would have stated that since they were walking forward that they were moving, but the scenery was no different. Odd shaped plants lines the path, and it seemed to go on for miles. "Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" Dawn asked. "In the Torn World there is no right or wrong direction. This place is constantly changing." Cynthia spoke with ease. If Dawn didn't know any better, she'd say this wasn't even fazing Cynthia.

"Shouldn't we have at least gone in the direction Saturn did?" Dawn continued. Cynthia shook her head. "Pay attention. I said this world is constantly shifting. I have a feeling we'll soon meet up with him again." Her angered tone made Dawn fall silent. She found her behavior strange since the past few times they met she was always nice.

Finally after a long ten minutes they came upon different scenery. The field was rocky and bare of any of the strange vegetation. And, Cynthia was right. Saturn stood in the middle of the field over two lumps on the ground. When everyone moved closer, they realized they were not just any lumps...they were horribly mangled bodies.

Looking past the blood and overall mangled factor, one thing was certain: these were the bodies of Jupiter and Mars. Dawn looked utterly horrified as she looked away. Lucas noticed this and pulled her into a reassuring embrace. "What happened?" Cynthia asked. "It was that damn Giratina." He quietly replied, not even bother to look up at the champion.

Before she could ask another question, the pressure around everyone seemed to increase dramatically. "It's coming back..." Saturn warned. From the edge of the rocky field, came the ghost dragon Giratina. Still in her origin form, she hovered right to where everyone could view her. "Foolish humans..." she mumbled. How she was talking was confusing everyone. Telepathy could be a possibility, but the Pokemon's mouth seemed to be moving slightly. As Cynthia said, being the Torn World, nothing held any logic to it. "Why would you do this?" Saturn shouted.

Giratina laughed, her ghost tentacles waving rapidly. "'Why' you ask? Typical human question I suppose. You dared to use the powers of my counterparts to create another universe? Arceus forbids such actions. These two were destined to die under my wrath...and they won't be the last, blue one." Giratina explained looking at everyone in the group. "Though I welcome you to continue roaming my domain. Arceus forbids me from just ripping you all apart right now. That and it took a lot of strength to mutilate these two," she paused, a devious smirk now on her face. "I suggest you take this opportunity to heal your friends who selflessly fight for your pathetic needs."

Both Garchomp looking up at the massive dragon and bared their teeth. If this beast even tried to lay one of her creepy tentacles on their humans, they'd show her what for. Giratina laughed a thunderous laugh. "You two disgust me." She moaned. Dawn's Garchomp puffed out his chest in anger. "Pokemon and humans were never meant to work as one. We were meant to be separate. Do you see Pokemon killing our planet? No. Humans have corrupted my kind to do that. I hear your planet screaming in agony. It screams as your toxins fill the air...and what are you doing to save it? Nothing. Humans only act at the last moment. If I kill all of you now, your world will be saved. Until your death, farewell."

Giratina then disappeared into the shadows, leaving everyone with a lot to think about. Saturn felt a horrendous mix of emotions. Anger and sadness for the other commander's death. Hate for the creature that killed them.

A visibly dark wind blew through the field, and everyone watched as Mars and Jupiter's bodies aged until there was nothing left. "We should heed Giratina's warning. I have plenty of healing items so it's best we start training. Time flows differently here, but I think we just experienced a time surge. This could be a contained thing or it could also have occurred back in our world. If it happened in our world I'd say we just jumped ahead at least six months. Though, I think it's only contained to the Torn World."

"Some Champion you are." Saturn muttered, putting stress on the word 'champion'. "Pardon?" Cynthia asked. He turned around to face the girl who was slightly taller than himself. Her height did intimidate him, but nonetheless he felt he needed to vent his frustration. "These two just died! And what, you're just going to stand around and act like nothing happened?" He ranted. Cynthia's demeanor didn't change. "Get a hold of yourself. They're gone and there's nothing we can do about it. We need to heal our Pokemon right now and prepare to fight for our lives. If you're going to start taking out your anger on others, I suggest you start with Giratina."

* * *

**Late into what might be considered the night, everyone had all their Pokemon out and were still healing them.** "Lucario," Cynthia's Lucario called over to Lucas'. Both Aura Pokemon seemed to be glaring at one another, but in actuality were having a very serious conversation.

Saturn was sitting away from everyone with his four Pokemon. Each of the Pokemon were sitting still, giving their master a confused look. "Ambi?" His Ambipom asked, standing up. She then pointed her left arm over to the two trainers, who were beginning to be trained by Cynthia. Saturn looked at his only female Pokemon with a cold stare. "Whatever." He grumbled. Ambipom sighed, but jumped when she felt Toxicroak's hand on her shoulder. "Toxicroa," he grunted. The frog then looked at his teammates and signaled them to follow him. If Saturn refused to train with them, then they'd get the others to help them.

"Toxicroak!" The Toxic Mouth Pokemon croaked, grabbing the attention of Cynthia. Scanning over the Pokemon with her gray eyes, she then looked at Saturn. "Saturn, you better train. No matter how good you think you may be, you still have work that needs to be done." She lectured. The stubborn commander simply grunted in response, continued to wallow in his own misery. The blonde champion shook her head then glanced at her full team of Pokemon. "Roserade, go train with Toxicroak. Togekiss you train with Honchkrow." Cynthia directed.

The Bouquet Pokemon saluted her trainer and smiled as she walked over to the large poison Pokemon. "Roserade," she said with a wink. Toxicroak croaked in response. He knew he had a slight advantage type wise, but he also knew that she was most likely of higher level.

Cynthia then looked over to a small ghost Pokemon. "Spirit?" The ghost wailed. "Spiritomb, you train with Ambipom and Lucas, I'd like it if you would get Camerupt to train with Rhyperior."

The instructed Pokemon hurried over to their new training partner, and began to go over training tactics. Cynthia then looked back at the two trainers. "Okay, Lucas. My Lucario is going to be training with yours to teach her some important moves. The dragon move Dragon Pulse. Dawn, my Garchomp will be training with yours to learn Draco Meteor. For a final, you two will be learning the ultimate elemental moves. Infernape will learn Blast Burn, and Torterra will learn Frenzy Plant. Lets begin." She finished. Dawn and Lucas looked at each other, then to their Pokemon and nodded. This would be tough, but it would be worth it. Hopefully...

Saturn leaned up against a tall boulder and looked on as his Pokemon continued their training. His thoughts however, found their way deep into the past.

* * *

**The easy life of being a kid. Not a care in the world.** Just a new adventure every day. A young five-year-old Saturn was outside of his parent's home in the back yard. An Aipom sat in the small apple tree, occupying the young boys attentions. "Come here Aipom!" He urged. The monkey Pokemon smiled as she crawled higher into the tree. Frustrated, the young Saturn looked around for his other Pokemon. He found the little poison frog sitting atop his Spike Pokemon Rhyhorn. "Croagunk, help me get Aipom!" He ordered.

With a yawn, young Croagunk hopped off his spot and walked over to Saturn. "Cro?" He asked in a high-pitched tone. Aipom popped her head out of the tree, with a dull green apple in her tail's grip. "Ohohoh-Aipom!" She giggled, before biting into the dry, bitter fruit. Sticking out her tongue, she proceeded to spit out green mush. Saturn laughed at his Pokemon.

Deciding that she was done with the apple tree, Aipom scurried down the tree, but not before stopping to pick an apple blossom. "A!" She squeaked, giving the pink blossom to her friend.

"Stephen, time to come inside for lunch!" A female called. Young Saturn turned around and smiled at the teen ahead of him. "C'mon guys!" He said to his Pokemon as they began to race towards the large house. Once there, and out of breath, Saturn handed the redhead the apple blossom. "Jennifer, I picked you a flower!" He beamed. The redhead smiled at the young boy. "Aww, aren't you a sweetie." She asked.

He blushed a bit in response. "C'mon. Your parents stopped by to see you before they leave for Johto." She said, leading the boy into the house. "Mom, dad!" He called racing towards his parents. "Hey little man." His father greeted, ruffling his son's hair. His mother then bents down and fixed his hair, part of her cleaning impulse. "Promise to be good for Jennifer while we're gone?" She asked, giving him a smile. He nodded. "Uh-huh, don't worry!" He promised. His mother smiled and blinked her sapphire eyes as she stood up.

"I hope we're not imposing on your plans for this weekend Jennifer." Cyrus apologized. Mars smiled. "It's no problem mister Cyrus sir. Babysitting Stephen is no burden." She said with enthusiasm. "I'm not a baby!" Saturn objected. Everyone laughed a bit at his comment. Again, not a care in the world for him. He didn't have to worry about his father leaving for good...he didn't have to worry about taking care of his mother who grew very sickly after the years. He didn't know that in thirteen years, he would have watched two people be ripped to shreds by a creature spoken only in legends. He didn't know that one of them would be Jennifer, who would later go on to be known as Commander Mars.

* * *

**Saturn sighed. **"I may have acted like I hated you with all my being...but I owe a lot to you Jennifer." He commented, trying to rip his conscientious out of the past. While keeping his gaze on the 'sky' above him, he didn't notice the attack nearing him. While Lucario was trying to teach Lucas' Lucario Dragon Pulse, she messed up, sending it towards Saturn. In a split second, Toxicroak jumped away from his sparing partner, and blocked the attack. "Toxicroak." The bipedal frog grunted, looking back at his master. "T-thanks...Toxicroak." Saturn mumbled, feeling awkward, speaking to his Pokemon. What looked like a smile appeared on the frog's face, before leaping back to his sparing partner. "Rosy," Roserade commented, congratulating Toxicroak on his save.

Saturn gave another sigh before returning to his trip down memory lane.

At the early age of fifteen, Saturn was given the heavy responsibility to taking care of his mother. She had been diagnosed with a strange disease, and this seemed to follow the traumatic event of his father leaving. The doctors had no clue what it was, and since they didn't have enough money to afford the medications to cure her symptoms, it was slowly killing her. Cyrus had left them with nothing, so Saturn had to work two jobs, and watch as his mother neared her death each day.

He watched as her once jet-black hair, slowly turned gray. She rarely ate, and whenever she did it was hardly enough to support a healthy diet. She complained about how her whole body ached and how the glands under her chin hurt even more. The day she died was the day Saturn snapped. He vowed to take his revenge on his father by finding him and destroying his future.

For the most part, he had succeeded, but only because Giratina was the one to do it. His revenge didn't taste very sweet. It was more bittersweet than anything. He watched as both Garchomp's Draco Meteor was lighting the 'sky'. The power of this move intrigued Saturn, but not enough to get him to move from his spot.

Infernape and Torterra seemed to be having trouble mastering the moves, and at the pace they were going, Cynthia was worried that they wouldn't learn the moves. "Okay. Take a deep breath you two." She instructed.

The grass turtle and fire ape closed their eyes and took a deep breath. Both listened to the sounds around them. "Now begin to concentrate your energy deep in your soul. Infernape, act as if your about to use Flamethrower. Torterra, you Earthquake."

Both Pokemon began to fidget. Fire burned in Infernape's stomach, and Torterra's limbs began to feel sore. "Now unleash it!"

A very powerful stream of fire rushed out of Infernape's mouth. The force was so great that he felt himself moving. Torterra reared up a bit then dug his claws into the ground. From the shell on his back, roots fell and dug their way into the ground. "Awesome job Infernape!" Dawn congratulated. Lucas did the same, but then they noticed that both Pokemon looked extremely worn out. "Using this move will drain their energy, so it's best that you don't use it carelessly. You'll need to continue working on it, but for not much longer. I have a feeling that Giratina is almost ready to come for us." Cynthia warned.

The trainers nodded then resumed their training. After a few hours everyone was completely worn out, and decided that it would be best to conserve energy for now. Camerupt and Skuntank were resting against each other, but a worried look was plastered across Camerupt's face. Skuntank seemed to be trying to assure him of something when a pain in her stomach triggered. "Camerupt!" The fire camel breathed. "Skun-Skuntank." Skuntank said with a pained expression. She didn't know how much longer she had...hopefully she would be able to make it through the battle.

"Is it just me, or do Camerupt and Skuntank seem to be acting weird lately?" Dawn asked as she and Lucas sat on the ground, leaning against a rock. "I've noticed that." Lucas replied. He had an idea as to why they were acting this way, but he also figured it was best left unsaid. Warmth spread through his body when he felt Dawn lean against his shoulder. She looked to be fighting the battle to stay awake, but it was easy to see she was loosing.

Cynthia looked over at the two and smiled. "Oh to be young and in love." She commented, looking over at her Garchomp. Garchomp smiled a toothy smile. She had been with Cynthia since the beginning and it was rare that anyone ever caught this champion's eye. But whenever such a person came along, boy was Cynthia into them. Garchomp then looked over at the annoying male Garchomp. Sure, he was the most annoying Pokemon she had ever come in contact with...but he did have a certain charm. She hated this thought, but she felt as if she was beginning to return his feelings. Not quite, but almost.

"Gar," Garchomp commented to Cynthia as they began to walk around to all Pokemon. When they got around to Toxicroak, it made Cynthia look at Saturn. He was still leaning against the same boulder, still thinking about the past. She sighed, wondering when he would stop moping around. This wasn't good for his health, nor was it good for their current situation.

Lucas looked down at Dawn, who was mostly asleep. "Hey Dawn," he softly spoke. "Mm, yeah?" She asked. "If we make it through this,"

"_When_ we make it through this." She corrected. "Right, when we do, I think there are some things we need to take care of." He stated. Dawn moved a bit, trying to keep herself awake. At least long enough so she could finish their conversation. "Like what?" She asked in a yawn. "For a start I should probably properly ask you to be my girlfriend, instead of just assuming that we were together." He said, smiling when he realized that Dawn had fallen asleep.

For once in nearly four months, Dawn found herself having that old repetitive dream where she was in Solaceon Town. Though, like the last time, there were a few changes. This time, she and Lucas were leaning up against the railing of an old wooden fence, looking over a field of Miltank. The plump, pink Milk Cow Pokemon were busy munching on grass, and some being herded by the Mightyena. One of the wolf Pokemon glanced to their side, looking straight into Dawn's eyes.

Quick on her feet, the Mightyena rushed towards Dawn and Lucas. Instead of attacking Dawn she just leaped up on the railing, using her front limbs for support. "Hey Mightyena," Lucas said, petting the Pokemon's head. "Grrah," she barked. Dawn too smiled at the Pokemon before taking in the scenery.

It was sunset, a light autumn breeze wafted through the air. Taking in a deep breath, Dawn couldn't help but feel that this was perfect. The Firefly Pokemon known as Volbeat and Illumise began to fly above the field. Each dancing to their own rhythm in hopes of attracting a mate.

Lucas' hand fell on top of Dawn's, making them face one another. Suddenly Dawn's Infernape appeared, and he was making a loud whimpering noise.

Dawn felt someone poking her a bit, waking her up from her dream. Infernape was in her face, whimpering. Quickly realizing that he had intertwined himself into her dream by this simple action, she looked around without moving. Lucas had also fallen asleep, and from what she could tell, it seemed to be darker. "Infer Infernape nape," the ape grunted, moving to she could see Cynthia. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just checking on your Pokemon." The champion whispered. "It's alright. I was probably going to wake up sooner or later." Dawn replied, averting her eyes.

Cynthia was silent for a second. She looked from the young couple in front of her, to Saturn, then back to Dawn. "I'm curious," she began. Dawn looked back at her. "This is an odd question I'm sure, but have you two said 'love' yet?" She asked.

Dawn did find this to be an odd question, but she didn't see any harm in answering it. "Well...I said it once but that was back when we were trying to break me free of Destiny Bond and capture Lucas. I didn't give him the chance to return it because I was in a lot of trouble with Saturn."

Cynthia nodded. "I see. Again I'll say something odd. Promise me you'll be more careful with that word. Like hate, it's a very powerful word. Don't throw it around like it's nothing. I may not be that old, but trust me, I know a lot more than I let off. Boys will run if you don't say love soon enough, and even some girls will do that for the same reason. But that doesn't mean say it without meaning it. Love is very complicated and I don't believe you're old enough to have a complete grasp as to what it really means. Then again, maybe you do know."

This left Dawn speechless. Love...a big word. Of course she thought this, but in the heat of the moment, it sure didn't seem like such a crime. But here was Cynthia, basically shunning her for doing so? A feeling of grief swept over her, and now she felt like she couldn't say love to anyone...

* * *

**Deep in the Torn World, a different battle was being prepared for.** The three lake beings were busy talking to Giratina. Mesprit, begging for Giratina to let them go. The large dragon only laughed. Swiping her large tentacles at the Emotion Pokemon and her counterparts, she prepped herself to leave. "Sorry you three. You may govern emotions, willpower, and knowledge, but in my world you don't do that. If you truly want to help them, I suggest you three do your best to give them the emotion, willpower, and knowledge to beat me." She growled.

The lake Pokemon struggled to stand after that last powerful blow, but to no avail. If one move was able to knock all three of them out, how long would it be till she killed the humans? "Mes," Mesprit grunted, using her limbs to support her off the ground below her. "Zel!" Azelf shouted, telling her to stop. She disregarded her friend and glared at the huge dragon. Her eyes began to glow a faint pink, before she again collapsed.

Once again Giratina laughed. "Nice try on Extrasensory. Your efforts will only be in vein since I am leaving. Au revoir you three." The ghost dragon snickered, snaking into the shadows.

A sharp pain tugged at her heart. She knew this was Arceus telling her that she was about to commit crime against his wishes. She silently cursed at the Alpha Pokemon as she came upon the area where the humans were all resting. She wondered if she should just take them all out while she had the chance. It was very tempting...oh so very tempting. "Wakey, wakey humans." She groaned, deciding that it would be more fun to watch them struggle.

All the Pokemon in the clearing quickly stood up since they had sensed her presence long ago. "Infernape!" Infernape challenged while Dawn and Lucas stood up. A quick yawn escaped Lucas' mouth before he looked over at Dawn. She still looked tired, and she also looked like something was bothering her, but she also held a bright determination. Her willpower made Lucas feel a little more confident, but he was still nervous about battling this legend.

"Roserade, start off with Cotton Spore!" Cynthia ordered. Tiny cotton balls were released from the blue rose on Roserade's hand, and they began to flow towards Giratina. When the collided with her scaly skin, they seemed to melt into nothing. "Nice try." Giratina laughed. Cynthia winced at the failed move.

Saturn stood up, looking completely emotionless. He didn't see the point in trying. "Toxi?" Toxicroak asked. Saturn put his arm out, blocking his Pokemon from moving. "There's no point." He muttered. Dawn ordered Arcanine to use Flamethrower, which was redirected using Psychic. The inferno was directed towards Saturn, who refused to move. Ambipom saw this and rushed to his rescue. Using her body, she blocked the attack.

Saturn felt sorry for her, but his thoughts refused to let him show it. "This is pointless... We're all going to die no matter how hard we try."

* * *

**Wow...that was kinda a sucky ending Dx Oh well. Hopefully the next chapter will be much better. And pardon any errors, it's late, I've had a long day of school. I'll look over it again tomorrow when I'm awake ^-^**

**What is this? Giratina, talking? This is blasphemy! No, this is madness! **  
** Madness...THIS...IS...FANFICTION! **  
**^.^ Teehee couldn't resist the sparta reference. So yeah. Normally I don't like having Pokemon talk without using telepathy, but I figured, in Giratina's world, anything is possible! Haha. But so, as for Giratina's voice. If you have ever seen the movie 'Princess Mononoke' (if you haven't I recommend it! ) if you remember the wolf god's voice...um...Moro! That's it. haha. (voiced by Gillian Anderson ^_^) That's how I see her voice. It's kinda dark, yet femenin at the same time. **  
**Okay, why is Giratina a female? Well, she was going to be a he, but I decided that I use way to many male Pokemon. Thus, Giratina's gender was decided **

**Jennifer = Commander Mars? I dunno. I needed a regular name for her and I figured it worked ^.^ I got the idea from when my nephew, who's like five, brought me a dandelion :3 It was so cute. Haha. **

**D: Oh me oh my. I've made Cynthia a slight bit of a jerk haven't I? Oh well. That's kinda how I see her. Nice most of the times, but with a coarse, not so nice side. **

**What's wrong with Skuntank? I think it's pretty obvious, but that may just be because I know what's wrong. xD **

**Why was Cynthia's speech about the word love there? Because I think it's mostly true. People say hate is a strong word, yet they throw around 'love' like it's nothing. I dunno. Maybe I'm too old fashioned. :\ Everything Cynthia said is what I tend to tell people. I just hate hearing about how they are just 'soooo in love' with their boy/girlfriend after like one week. I dunno. It just irks me haha. **

**And why yes, Giratina did speak a lil' French ^-^ That was Au Revoir (O Re-vwah) It just means Goodbye. **

**Hmm...Selene, Damion, and Crobat are kinda MIA right now aren't they? ...Or are they?**


	17. The Torn World III Meet your maker

Chapter Seventeen

The Torn World III

(Meet your maker)

[Chapter rating- PG]

* * *

**The blue-haired, former commander sighed.** Cynthia's Roserade and Lucas' Staraptor already fainted and were lying near his boulder. "Fire Punch." He bluntly ordered to Ambipom. Her tails began to glow with a bright inferno as she slammed them into the oncoming Aura Sphere. Giratina was proving to be a very tough opponent.

Most of the defending Pokemon were weakened, and it wouldn't be long till more of them were knocked out.

A blue aura surrounded Giratina's tentacles as she prepped Dragon Claw. Before she could attack, the pain that had been tugging at her heart peaked. The ghost-dragon let out a horrendous screech. Quickly, she realized that Mesprit had used Future Sight on her. "You'll all pay for Mesprit's cheekiness." She commented, a bright ball of aura forming at her mouth.

The sight of Aura Sphere worried everyone since they knew it was large enough, and powerful enough to take them all out. Giratina fired it with a screech, but as it neared everyone, it began to diminish in size. "Aaah!" A cheerful sounding cry called. Mesprit and her counterparts had arrived just in time to save everyone. Azelf and Uxie, both using a psychic move to hold the move in place, smirked. Mesprit then floated over to the move, with her eyes glowing pink.

Within a second, the attack had disappeared. Giratina too smirked. "Very clever you three. Sending my Aura Sphere to a different dimension to explode, clever indeed. Though, it's going to take a lot more than that to win." She taunted.

Mesprit then began to talk to Giratina, and seemed to be asking something. The Renegade Pokemon gave simple replies until Mesprit posed a final question. Giratina's eyes landed on Saturn as she answered the Emotion Pokemon. "No...I haven't told him yet." She muttered. Mesprit gave her a face that said for her to do so. "I don't see what this has to do with anything, but fine. I'll leave you to die with this blue one. I...hehe...killed your father."

Rage burned deep from within him. Sure, Saturn hated his father with a fiery passion...sure...he wanted him dead. But he wanted to be the one to kill him. Not Giratina. "How dare you..." he hissed. Giratina smirked. If anything, Mesprit just worsened the situation. Now his judgment would be clouded due to his anger. "Rhyperior, use Outrage!" Saturn ordered.

A blue aura surrounded the rock Pokemon and he ran at Giratina. Giratina attempted to block the attack by grabbing Rhyperior with her tentacles, but only ended up getting shocked by the attack. Since it was a dragon move, it was super effective. Saturn smirked as she continued to get shocked.

In an attempt to get away from the pain, Giratina let go of Rhyperior and began to thrash about. During this, she slashed at Skuntank, making Camerupt furious. She was already in enough pain as it was... "Camer...upt!" The raging Pokemon snorted. He drew in a very deep breath, making smoke billow out of the two volcanoes on his back. "Camer-uuudah!" Camerupt breathed, sending a powerful Fire Blast at Giratina. The dragon-ghost hadn't expected this move, so she took it head-on. She let out a horrid screech as a burn took into effect.

The crest on Giratina's head began to glow a light blue, and slowly she began to disappear. "Honchkrow, use Night Shade!" Saturn ordered. The Big Boss Pokemon flew up high, a deep shade of purple now flowing into the area. The outline of Giratina was now visible, giving Cynthia an idea. "Spiritomb, Shadow Sneak!"

Spiritomb's body seemed to fade, making her shadow darker. The 'shadow' then rushed towards Giratina, dealing enough damage to make her stop. "Now both Lucario, use Dragon Pulse!" Cynthia followed up.

The dragon moves forced Giratina to the ground out of weakness, and now she was beginning to wonder if this battle would be hers. Without an order, both Garchomp began to run at the fallen titan, their claws glowing in a blue light. They scratched her hard on the face with Dragon Claw, leaving four visible marks.

Giratina's rage rose, forcing her to use Shadow Claw on everyone. All the Pokemon were damaged, so Cynthia knew it was time to use a certain move. "Recover!" She ordered to no one in particular. All her Pokemon that could use that move began to glow in a bright light. "Not so fast," Giratina chucked, a small glimmer in her eyes.

All Pokemon that were using Recover suddenly stopped, their aura glowing gray. She had used Heal Block, and now they were sitting Psyducks. Using Dragon Claw, all Pokemon that were hit were knocked out. This included the two Lucario, Milotic, Magmortar, Rhyperior, and Honchkrow. Spiritomb seemed to make a growl noise, and stuck her tongue out at Giratina.

The Renegade Pokemon chuckled. She then used Dragon Claw on her, but what she didn't notice was the move Spiritomb had used before being knocked out. A growing pain began to tug at Giratina until it spiked. Another harsh wail filled the air as Curse took its toll.

Ambipom glared at the giant, then called her name loudly a few times to everyone. She began to bounce up and down while clapping her tails together. Helping Hand. Most of the Pokemon then began to act without orders. Arcanine and Togekiss both fired a strengthened Flamethrower, both Garchomp began to power up Draco Meteor, Toxicroak's fists became coated in a thick purple toxin for Poison Jab, Luxray fired Thunderbolt, Camerupt used another Fire Blast, and Skuntank used Sludge Bomb. All the combined moves overwhelmed Giratina completely, making her unable to move for a moment.

Dawn and Lucas looked at one another and seemed to be sharing the same idea. They nodded, then looked over to their starter Pokemon. "Infernape, use Blast Burn!"

"Torterra, use Frenzy Plant!"

Torterra went first, the powerful vines now pinning Giratina to the ground completely, while sucking health from her. Infernape then used his elemental Hyper Beam, singing the Torn World's ruler.

The Lake Trio decided to take this opportunity to strike. Even though it was against their nature to attack one of Arceus' creations, they knew it was for the best. Ice coated Uxie's two tails as he began to build a powerful Ice Punch. Azelf's eyes began to glow green. A small green energy ball began to form between his tiny hands. For a final, Mesprit's head began to glow a bright pink with Zen Headbutt. All three attacked Giratina at once, rendering her stunned for a moment. The burn and Curse once again took effect, putting Giratina into a complete daze.

Her world began to spin. Multiple Pokemon and humans began to form below around her. She tried to get up, but the Frenzy Plant kept her pinned to the ground. She tried again with more force, putting stress on Torterra. "Torr," he grunted, digging his claws into the ground below him. This still didn't provide much relief from Giratina's strength.

After a few seconds of fighting, Giratina decided to use a small Aura Sphere to get the grass turtle off her body. It worked, so she decided that it was time to stop toying with them. Their death was now immanent. Using all of her remaining strength, she prepped Dragon Claw, only to find herself unable to move. "Alright, who's the wise guy?" She asked, looking around. That's when she noticed that everyone around her wasn't moving either.

A sharp pain began to pulse on her, making her shudder. Now she was being subjected to form changes. Her altered form began to take shape, but then would just as quickly revert to her origin form. She screeched as she tried to control what was happening, but she found that the world around her was also becoming distorted. "Stop! Whoever is doing this, stop!" She wailed.

The sky began to then turn pink, then blue, then purple, and then began rotate through that cycle of colors. "Have you had enough Giratina?" A deep voice asked. Looking around, Giratina saw nothing. The humans and their Pokemon were still frozen in their spot. "Who-who's there?" She asked, cowering to the edge of her cliff. A chuckle filled the air.

"You don't know?" The voice asked. "You've done quite enough Giratina." A figure then began to appear on the ground in front of Giratina. The figure wasn't very large, but when Giratina saw the outline, she froze with horror. This wasn't just any figure...no...it was Arceus...

"Master!" She breathed. A smirk appeared on the Alpha Pokemon's face. "Tell me Giratina, what is it you are doing with my creations?"

Giratina was too shaken by his presence to reply. "Answer me Giratina." He said softly. She gulped. "Y-you see master, they were destroying your planet! If their world is destroyed then mine will too perish. It was only the right thing to do."

Arceus chuckled as he looked at the humans around him. He then shook his head. "Your system of justice is blind. You only think of yourself. All of the humans here, they were destined to defeat you. No matter what happened, they would have defeated you. Look at the Infernape over there." He instructed.

Giratina did as she was told, and took notice that his jaw was gaped and filled with a bright inferno. "Infernape was going to use Blast Burn, which would have destroyed you. Destiny foretold this event. You were just too stubborn to listen, now weren't you?" He asked.

A grumpy look overtook Giratina's face. "You, Giratina of the Dragon Trio, should have known better. Besides, the Lake Trio was also prepping Future Sight. You couldn't win against them if you tried. You were destined to lose straight from the beginning."

Giratina began to wonder how many times he would state that she was going to lose. She grumbled. "Destiny isn't always right you know. Two of the humans here were never supposed to meet." Giratina spoke, looking at Lucas and Dawn. Arceus nodded. "True. But that is a little thing called chance. Chance overthrows destiny easily." This confused Giratina. Destiny meant it had to happen no matter what...then how in Arceus' name did chance overthrow that?

Arceus took notice of her confusion. "It may not make much sense, but chance is tied in with destiny. There is a chance that many things will happen to affect her destiny. Contrary to what you may believe, destiny is not set in stone. Them meeting was chance, and honestly, I think they would have met up, regardless of how. It was only a matter of when, dear Giratina." His odd way of speaking was not helping Giratina's confusion.

"And another thing. They are humans. They are going to be destructive. I would know since I gave them this planet. I knew full well what would happen. As humans, they won't react until the last minute...unless something else makes them. I don't know what that is, even as knowledgeable as I am. I don't fully know how humans work. Though, most of them are driven by emotion. That is why Mesprit governs emotions. Set them free of your world Giratina. Their time isn't now...or if I resume time, I can just let Infernape and the Lake Trio deal with you." He warned.

Giratina sighed and looked at the humans. She came to realize that her judgment had been fogged by her own rage and selfishness. Arceus was right. Their time wasn't now. "Yes master." She grumbled. The God smiled and began to take his leave. The Hall of Origin couldn't wait forever. After all, he still had to keep the world intact.

Again, Giratina sighed as time began to flow normally. Well. What would be considered normal in the Torn World. The color returned back to its gloomy gray and deep purple. "Infernape, please, hold your attack. I have been corrected." Giratina calmly said...

* * *

**Outside of the Torn World, almost a month had passed. **The giant sphere above Mount Coronet hadn't grown outside of the Spear Pillar area, but it didn't change how people were reacting. Police and research teams had basically been camping out since the day it all started. Barry and Marley had even stayed too. Even Damion and Selene showed up. "Crobat," the purple bat that belonged to Dawn grumbled, looking over at the giant sphere.

Earlier in the week, Dialga and Palkia had returned to attempt to break the sphere. Their attempts were all in vein, but Crobat worried that they would soon return. Earlier in the day, Crobat had sensed a very powerful being. He couldn't place it, but he knew that something, or someone important was around. Where, he didn't know. He just knew that something had happened...and this worried him.

A pulse of pressure waved through the area, and the black sphere seemed to be shrinking. "Croba!" The bat called, taking flight. "Ninjask?" Another winged creature asked, flying over to him. This cicada Pokemon belonged to Marley, and over the period of time, she had found a strange fondness for the purple bat. Crobat was oblivious to her affection, but it was obvious to Ninjask why. Their egg groups weren't compatible...he wouldn't feel the same for her. "Cro-Crobat!" He replied.

Teams around the sphere began to freak out as the black orb began to shrink. The teams all moved away from the sphere, but Crobat was way too excited. He hadn't seen Dawn in far too long. She had to be returning, she just had to be. With Ninjask still following behind him, Crobat headed up to the summit.

"We should follow Crobat and Ninjask." Marley suggested, looking at everyone around her. When everyone arrived at the summit, they were astounded by what they saw. Giratina, in her altered form, towering over their lost friends.

The return trip from the Torn World has left everyone feeling completely fatigued. The difference in light and atmosphere was making everyone feel sick. The overwhelming urge to faint weighed heavily upon Dawn. Reality was almost...too real. Was this a dream induced by an untimely death? She clearly remembered that Giratina had a random change of heart... "Dawn!"

The familiar voice of Barry was enough for Dawn to know that this was real. It was a very heartwarming moment. Just as the blonde boy was about to rush over to his friend, Crobat intervened by smacking him a few times. "Croba-ba-bat!" He screeched. With light tears of joy in his eyes, Crobat began to fly towards his master. "Halt!" A gruff voice ordered.

A blue and yellow canine jumped at Crobat, tackling him to the ground. "Manectric!" He howled, baring his electric coated teeth at the large foe. "Orders are that no one is to go near them! They are criminals after all."

A group of policemen approached, the chief blowing into a whistle that gave orders to Manectric. Looking away from his Pokemon, the chief then looked at the group of people. What he hadn't noticed was Giratina. "Touch them and taste Dragon Claw." She verbally warned. The chief's face paled at the sight of the powerful beast. "Everybody has learned their lesson. However, continue to treat your world poorly and I will return..." She warned. Without another word from anyone, Giratina screeched to the sky, opening a portal back to her world. She flew up into the portal, with a heavy heart. A mistake like that wouldn't be made twice.

Once the chief regained confidence, he resumed his arrest. Barry tried to get them to stop, but to no avail. Not a work could be said in their defense to get the police to stop. Not even Cynthia could talk some sense into them. While waiting for word on where to take everyone, Dawn, Lucas, Saturn, and Cynthia took the opportunity to talk. "Don't worry. I'll find a way to fix this." The Champion assured.

The looks she received were no signs of hope. "You all don't deserve to be arrested...I know I do." Saturn spoke, with a glimmer of despair in his tone. Dawn looked at him with sad eyes. "No you don't. In the end you were trying to stop all of this...right?" She asked. He nodded. "Yes, but I still have to make up for what my father did."

Dawn sighed a bit, looking at the ground. Another thing she realized they had in common: they both had horrible fathers. Hers was abusive and in later years an aggressive drunk, and his probably killed hundreds of people...all for a selfish ambition. "Well," she quietly began, looking from Saturn to Lucas. "If either of you meet my father, feel free to kick hiss ass." She muttered.

To her, things couldn't possibly get worse. What was her mother going to say when she found out about this? This kind of crime would let her be tried as an adult, so there was no getting out of this...

A tear found itself rolling down Dawn's cheek as she tried to hold back her tears. Quickly, she wiped it away hoping no one would notice. It didn't get past Lucas. "Dawn," he whispered. Saturn didn't get it. "What's wrong with your father?" He dared to ask.

When Dawn didn't reply, he knew he had crossed some sort of boundary. "All right you all, back up is at the base of the mountain. Better get a move on." The chief policeman spoke, returning to everyone. Three Manectric were following him, and they then split up to make sure everyone was still moving.

Before they could even take three steps, a mystical power seemed to be keeping everyone in place. "Alright, what's going on?" The chief asked. "I believe that it is now your time to halt." A soft voice announced. In a quick flash of light, Selene appeared, with Gardevoir at her side. "What's the big idea miss?" Chief asked.

The green-haired girl smirked. "The name is Selene...Special Agent Selene of the International Police that is. Months ago me and my two partners Damion and Looker were assigned too keep a lookout on them. They've done nothing wrong. So, unless you all would like to loose your jobs, I suggest you let them free." She rapidly explained.

Gardevoir's Psychic grip loosened, making the chief look from his Pokemon, to the other officers. "Uh," he grumbled. Granted he didn't love his job very much, but having to tell his wife that he was fired for a reason like this...the scenario in his head never went over well.

Deciding that since the girl had more authority over him, he backed off. A wave of relief seemed to flow over everyone just then. Yet, at the same time, the feeling that she was going to faint, feel heavily upon Dawn. The stress from the Torn World had finally taken its toll, resulting in Dawn fainting.

Through her time of being asleep, Dawn constantly had strange dreams. Usually the dreams would be events from being in Team Galactic, and some of them were just normal, random dreams. Her last dream she realized was a dream, which caused her to wake up.

A soft light filtered into the room she was in, and a strange scent of medicine filled the air. Judging by all of that, and the fact that there was some girl she wasn't familiar with, asleep in the chair in front of the bed, she knew she was in a hospital. Sitting up, she realized she had a few wires attached to her. One was to monitor her pulse, the other was and IV line. She shuddered at the thought of needles being put in her arm.

"Would you two take a break already? You both have been here since she was admitted!" A frustrated Barry grumbled, now standing in the entranceway to the room. "Ugh, fine. But when she wakes up, I will be so angry!" A not so familiar female voice complained. "What she said." A very tired sounding Lucas followed. The sound of Lucas' voice made her heart skip a beat, which was evident on the heart monitor.

With a smile, Barry watched as the two finally left. When he turned around, he wasn't concentrating on Dawn in the least. His eyes were on Marley. He laughed a bit, finding it funny that even though she didn't know Dawn, she refused to leave until she was alright. He also wasn't too worried about waking her up. Heck, if she could sleep through Dialga's Roar Of Time, she could sleep through anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an awake Dawn.

"Morning Cinderella." He joked. His joke confused Dawn. "I think you mean Sleeping Beau...Beau-Beauty." She said, slurring her words. Until now, she hadn't realized how tired she still was. Barry laughed. "Yeah, that's what I meant. How you feeling?" He asked, crossing his arms.

Dawn yawned. "Tired...very tired...who's she?" She asked. Barry looked back over at the sleeping girl. "Her name is Marley. Before we last saw you at the Spear Pillar, she had been helping me train. From there we just kinda kept traveling together." He was about to continue, but he stopped at the sound of claws clacking on the tile. "Oh no...not again!" He shouted, bracing himself for some sort of impact.

Just when Dawn thought the boy had gone crazy, a tiny, scarlet skunk ran into the room, and tackled Barry. The tackle was super-powered, and even caused some recoil damage to the Pokemon. "Stunky, keke." The Stunky snorted. "Scarlet, when are you going to learn to control that Double-Edge of yours?" Barry asked, now holding Stunky. Scarlet shook her head, as if saying, "I don't know".

"Where'd you get the Stunky?" Dawn asked. "Oh, she's not my Stunky. She's your Stunky." Barry said, holding out Scarlet so she could hop onto the hospital bed. The shining Stunky did just that, and rubbed her head against Dawn's hand. "I have a Skuntank, not a Stunky." Dawn replied, petting Scarlet. "Even when I did have a Stunky, she wasn't this color."

"Actually, she's yours and Lucas' Stunky. Ya' see, a little after you got back from the Torn World, Skuntank and Camerupt disappeared outside of the hospital. When I went looking for them, I found Skuntank curled around a tiny egg. Camerupt had a look of pride and so I figured it was their egg." Barry began to explain.

This certainly would explain why Camerupt and Skuntank had been acting strange. "She hatched awhile ago, and the different color isn't the only amazing thing. She had some pretty tough moves for a Stunky." Scarlet then looked up at him with a smile. "Skehehehe." She giggled. Dawn then asked how she got the nickname Scarlet. According to Barry, a young girl down the hall was playing with her for a few hours, and kept calling her Scarlet because of her fur. The name just stuck after that."

"Where is Lucas anyways?" Dawn asked. looking around. During her scope, her eyes landed on Marley. It was any wonder how she was still asleep. "I actually just forced him and another visitor out a few minutes ago. Though, with Scarlet here, he can't be too far away."

Another visitor. _"The person's voice was sort of familiar...definitely a girl though..."_ Dawn pondered. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go find Lucas and your visitor. Or else she'll be so angry." Barry said, imitating a girls voice at his latter statement.

While she waited, Dawn wondered why Barry wouldn't say who the 'visitor' was. The first person that came to mind was her mother. Then she realized that she would have immediately recognized the voice. Cynthia? Again, she would have recognized the voice. Then she decided to try to just concentrate on the voice. Peppy...slightly high pitched... "Couldn't be..." Dawn mumbled, receiving a curious look from Scarlet.

"I told you she would wake up as soon as we left!" A girl shouted. Barry could be heard apologizing to the girl as she walked in, carrying something in her arms. "Candice?" Dawn asked, her guess being correct. "Yep! Wait...where'd Lucas go? He was just behind me..." she bashfully said, looking around for the boy. Deciding that her task was more important, she turned around. "Oh I could so hug you right now if you weren't hooked up to all that junk. But Dawn, I have something for you! On behalf of all the gym leaders in Sinnoh, I present to you, all the gym badges!" She said, giving Dawn a small golden box.

When opened, all the slots for the badges were filled; all except for one that is. Candice's badge. Dawn looked back up at Candice, but she was stopped before she could say anything. "I'm about to give you my badge, but I just need to tell you how sorry I am!" While she continued her mini speech, Barry decided to go back and look for Lucas. He was waiting just outside of the room. "You gonna go in there or not?" Barry asked, standing in front of Lucas.

"Of course but...there's always this we have to deal with." Lucas said, pulling a letter out of his pocket. The sight of the letter was enough to make Barry worry. "Well...are you gonna give it to her?" He asked in a quick breath.

Lucas shrugged. "I'm considering giving it to her...it could change things though."

Barry also shrugged. "Well, give me that stupid letter and go see your girlfriend!" Lucas cracked a smile as he handed Barry the letter. "But, if you actually read it, you'll understand completely why I don't want to give it to her."

This confused Barry. He had said that it was just from her mother...what else could it be? When he took the note, he was tempted to read it. The temptation was just too much. While reading the letter his eyes widened. Half way through the letter, he peered his head in the room. Lucas was kissing Dawn's forehead, and she looked nothing more than happy. Giving this letter would not be the right thing to do...at least, not right now. At this point, he couldn't even bare to read the rest, so he placed the letter in his pocket for later.

"Oh, and uh...Stephen wanted you to have this. He said he wanted to give you a reminder of him." Lucas said, handing Dawn a poke ball. Inside, was Toxicroak. "You mean, Selene didn't cover for him?" Dawn asked, still looking at the poke ball. Lucas shook his head. "She did, but he said he had to make up for what Cyrus did."

Dawn remained silent as she continued to look at Toxicroak's poke ball. Silently, she promised to treat him well.

"Oh and Dawn, Cynthia told me to tell you that she is looking forward to your challenge!" Candice enthusiastically said.

Dawn nodded. Even she looked forward to that...though, there were still things to take care of. "What about challenges? How many times do I have to tell them, no refunds on Garchomp..." a very groggy Marley commented, waking up. Everyone laughed at her random statement.

BIU_**"Dawn, **_

_** I suppose you think I am writing to you to apologize. I might be, if you hadn't only worsened everything. Joining Team Galactic? What in Arceus' name told you to do that? Have you no sense? No daughter of mine would have done that. Sometimes, I wonder if they mixed you up with another baby in the delivery room. You can forget about what I said in previous months. I never want you to return. Consider yourself ostracized from the family. If you ever set foot in my house, you will regret it..." **_

_**

* * *

**_

Eww...sucky ending...that "..." at the end of the letter basically meant there was more, but it only got up to the part to where Barry read...basically.  
Actually I was just too lazy to finish writing it!

Wow...it's basically over ^-^

Don't worry, we still have an epilogue to go. It won't be very lovey dovey, but I think it will tie in a few things that have been purposely left out. I'm going to make a thank you list down a ways, and then a few other announcements.

So, was it obvious what was wrong with Skuntank now? I feel I made it pretty obvious, but who knows? Teehee. I had that little thing planned from the very beginning. Besides, what's better than a shiny Stunky? -shot-

How does Scarlet the Stunky know Double-Edge you ask? An Egg move courtesy of Camerupt! Too bad I never got to make Camerupt use Double-Edge. I was going to showcase it in the Giratina battle, but...Giratina, part ghost...wouldn't work out. Lulz.

And Arceus...yeah...sorry if you think I was trying to mess with your beliefs. I wasn't...I just needed stuff...bleh...

Onto the list of thank yous!

Lucatio deviantArt~ Thank you Lucatio! You were my very first comment and follower ^-^ You have no clue how much that meant to me, and still means to me! I'm glade you continued to follow me on this year-long (and then some) journey. Once more, thank you!

xAliceOfWonderlandx dA~ Thank you Alice! Without that simple comment, who knows where this story would be now? It probably would have continued on to the thirties Again, thank you!

Miranda, Crystal, and Mandy Real Life~ I have no clue if you three are even reading this, but I thank you for putting up with me in real life. Without you guys I'd be nothing ^_^

And now, honestly, one of the biggest thanks goes to:

Kaetlinisme dA ~Isn't it strange to think that we're really only known each other online for like less than three months? I find that crazy I honestly don't know where we would be these last few chapters without you. Your manga is a constant inspiration, and I don't know how to express the thanks you deserve, without sounding like a total creeper Thank you Alexie

And if you weren't mentioned by account, don't worry! I cherish each, and every follower I have. You have no clue what it means to me, and I thank you all for sticking through to the end!

And to everyone on ! Thank you! You all mean a lot to me too!

MERCI BEAUCOUP MES AMIS! (Thank you very much my friends, in French ^_^)

Now, another fun tidbit. Here is the complete grand total for this fiction:  
150 Pages, 87,525 words.  
Now who's more insane? Me for typing it all, or you for reading it?

Oh, and just for some fun information:  
Wanna know why I always used the Adamant Orb? Because I could never remember how to spell Lustrous Orb. Haha. Aren't I a looser with horrible spelling? I do rely on Spell Check waaaaay too much. Haha.


	18. Epilogue Homecoming

Epilogue

(Homecoming)

On the beaches of Sandgem town, a girl and six Pokemon could be seen training. The girl wasn't just any; she was actually the new Sinnoh Champion. She smiled as her little Stunky again attempted her new move. "Stuuunky!" The scarlet skunk hissed, her paws coated in poison. "You're doing great Scarlet." The champion encouraged. "Skuntank!" Scarlet's mother cheered. With a good leap, Scarlet slashed at her sparing partner.

Though she was young, the Stunky had enough strength to knock her partner into a small tidal pool. The Pokemon's ability began to dry the pool, until there was nothing left. "Toxicroak," the bipedal frog said with a nod. "Okay, I think you've got Poison Jab down Scarlet." At this, Scarlet began to purr and rub herself against Toxicroak's legs. The frog laughed a bit.

The past few years had proven quite difficult. He missed his original master, but he couldn't think of who else he would want to be with. "Dawn!" A human's voice called. Looking up, Toxicroak noticed a certain male. Looking towards the tree line, Toxicroak noticed Crobat. The Bat Pokemon didn't look to thrilled by his arrival. Then again, Crobat never looked too pleased.

"Lucas," Dawn greeted before they quickly kissed. "You ready to go?" Lucas asked. At this, Dawn sighed. This day she was not looking forward to. "Yeah, just let me get everyone back in their poke balls..." she mumbled. Lucas couldn't help but laugh. Silently he watched as she recalled all of her Pokemon.

"Do I really have to do this?" She asked with pleading eyes. "Dawn Platina Berlitz, we had an agreement." He watched as she winced at him using her middle name. "I know..." she muttered, looking at the ground. "Besides," Lucas continued in a more joking tone. "It's about time I'm better at something that you."

His statement made Dawn blush slightly, remembering how they came to this agreement. "You may be the better battler, and the better contest competitor, but I am the better kisser." He smirked when Dawn playfully hit him. Crossing her arms, she looked away. "Yeah well...I was just not in the best of moods."

Lucas then grabbed her arms to make her face him. "Sure, sure." He said before kissing her. Dawn seemed to shiver as he kissed her, making Lucas laugh. "And that only just proves my point." He said, their foreheads touching. She giggled a bit. "Okay fine. After all this time, you still can do that to me."

"I'm good like that." Lucas said with a grin, pulling away. Again, Dawn giggled. Lucas held his hand out, Dawn taking his. Hand in hand, they left the beaches behind to head to their destination.

The whole way, Dawn continued to try to get him to not force her to go through with it. He would just restate that they had an agreement, and continue to walk. After about fifteen minutes, they reached their destination: Twinleaf Town. They were just outside of the town's limits, closer to the lake than the town. Here, they stopped for a few seconds. "I really, _really_ don't want to do this." Dawn said, dreading to take any more steps.

Lucas let got of her hand and turned to face her. "Dawn, you're eighteen, almost nineteen. It's time you go back. You can't keep running from this." He encouraged.

He was right. Dawn realized this a long time ago, but like Lucas said, she always ran. Another thing Dawn realized, they were in the exact spot they met in all those years ago. She smiled. "Look where we're at." She said, looking around then back at Lucas. He returned the smile. "Yeah, almost four years later, and we're still together. We've had our ups and downs, but I couldn't ask for anyone else." He said. Dawn couldn't agree more. "But this doesn't mean you don't have to do this." He quickly added, grinning.

This caused Dawn to sigh again. Timidly, she began to lead the way back to her home. Lucas couldn't help but feel good. Sure, the last time Dawn had spoken to her mother, it ended horribly...and he and Barry finally showed her that letter. But, years had passed...things change right?

While walking through town, Dawn couldn't help but feel creped out. Things hadn't changed much. The old dirt road was now paved, and Barry's mother moved out on Barry's seventeenth birthday up to the Battle Zone to be closer to her husband.

It was early in the evening, so only a few streetlights were on. In the distance, Dawn saw her old home. She took a deep breath, and continued, visibly shaking.

A light inside the house was turned on, but curtains were concealing the windows. Outside in the old garden area was a cat Pokemon. It was a purple cat, but it wasn't Glameow. In fact, Dawn had never seen a Pokemon like this one. "Choro...neko?" It mewed, looking at Dawn with innocent green eyes. "Choroneko!" The cat mewed with delight. "Oh no...don't tell me my mom has turned into a crazy cat lady..." Dawn said, trying to calm her nerves. Out of seemingly nowhere, Glameow appeared. "Glam," she purred, licking her front paw.

Choroneko quickly padded over to the other cat Pokemon, and hid behind her. "Glameow, ow, ow!" Glameow wailed. Glameow recognized Dawn. It was no trouble to her. She even remembered the boy who treated her wounds from that Luxray. "Geez Glameow, you haven't changed much." Dawn calmly said.

Dawn removed her backpack and began to search for something. After a few seconds, she pulled out a small key. "I won't be surprised if she changed the lock..." she mumbled, walking up to the door. Choroneko and Glameow followed her, both seeming to wait for something. The key was a perfect fit, and the door opened with ease.

Once inside, Dawn realized how bad things had gone. The house wasn't horrible, but considering her mother, Miss OCD, the house was a wreck. Stacks of papers lined the counters, and just everything seemed cluttered and dark. "Choro, choro, chochocho!" Choroneko mewed. This was her usual greeting for when she was allowed inside.

Deciding to first take a closer look, Dawn realized that theses weren't just any papers...they were newspaper and pages printed off of the computer...all relating to herself. Newspapers that talked about the Spear Pillar event, and her becoming the newest champion. Internet printings on her contest winnings...everything...about her.

"Megan? You're a few hours early. Sorry the house is still a mess. No time an-" Her mother said, coming down the stairs, but stopping cold when she saw Dawn. Time seemed to stand still at that moment. Neither of them daring to say a word. Dawn decided to break the silence. "Hi mom..." she spoke, her tone barely audible. "Dawn..." Her mother replied, on the verge of crying.

Dawn had changed so much in the past few years...she was, a young lady now. "Dawn!" She said, practically running at her. She enveloped her in a hug, and held on as if she were never going to see her again. Dawn timidly returned the hug. "I missed...you so much." She sobbed. "So, you're not angry?" Dawn asked. Her mother pulled away and shook her head. "Darling, I was never mad! I was only angry with myself. I kept taking my anger out on you because you were doing all the things I wanted to do. I immediately saw a blooming connection between you and Lucas, and it just reminded me of how me and your father used to be. I could never hate you...and, if you ever read that letter I sent...I never meant to send that. I tried to stop the carrier Pidgey, but it was too late. I thought I lost you for good..."

All of this was beginning to make Dawn want to cry. She tried to think of something to say, but not much came to mind. "Well, I'm back for the most part. I do have my own place in the Resort Area, but I guarantee you I'll visit often." Dawn promised. Her mother smiled. "How on earth do you have your own place? You're eighteen!"

"It was a gift from the Hoenn Champion Steven. Me and Lucas have been staying there." Dawn explained, without thinking. Her mother smirked a bit. "Oh you both have, have you? Well, even though I had you young, I do not want grandchildren anytime soon!"

Both Dawn and Lucas blushed at her statement. Dawn nervously laughed. "I don't think you have to worry about that mom..."

"That is exactly what I told your grandfather but look what happened! The best accident of my life yes, but still!" All of this was making Dawn blush even harder. Though, there was something she knew she should tell her mom, but she figured it would be best to not kill the mood. "But who's Megan?" Dawn asked.

Her mother laughed nervously. "Heh, well, you see...I have a therapist since I was going a little crazy for awhile..."

Dawn and Lucas spent a couple of hours there, and Dawn decided that she would stay the night while Lucas went to visit his family back in Sandgem. They stood out on the porch, under the starlit sky, saying their goodbye. "Thanks for making me do this." Dawn thanked, hugging Lucas. "I told you everything would work out." He replied. "I'll see you tomorrow I guess." Dawn said, pulling away from the hug.

Lucas nodded. "But are you going to tell her about...you know?" He asked. Dawn nodded. "If she decides to have 'the talk' with me, I'll tell her. She does need to know I suppose." Dawn replied, feeling sick just thinking about it. "Well, I still want you to know that I love you no matter what. This doesn't change anything, and I would never leave you for something like this." Lucas promised, kissing Dawn once more.

He had no clue how much those simple words meant to Dawn. "I love you too." And Dawn had no clue how much those three words meant to Lucas. It wasn't often that she said it, but she seemed to always have perfect timing with it. With another kiss goodbye, Lucas left.

After a few minutes of standing alone, trying to figure out of to tell her mother, she finally went back inside. "So Dawn, even though we still have some catching up to do, I think we need to have a talk. Exactly how far has your relationship with Lucas gone?" Dawn's mother asked, once Dawn was back inside. Dawn blushed. "Why do you expect me to tell you." She nervously asked. Her mother smiled. "Because when I get a reply like that, it leads me to assume many things."

Dawn took in a deep breath, then sighed. "There's actually something you should know." This sentence was enough to give her mom a mini heart attack. "You remember the Spear Pillar event...?" She began.

Her mom nodded. "Of course. It was all over the news, newspaper, and online...I would know." She joked, trying to calm herself just as Dawn usually would. "Well, after all of that when I was in the hospital, just before they released me...they told me that something in the Torn World has caused me to never be able to have children...I'm sterile."

This left her mother with mixed emotions. Happy that her daughter didn't tell her anything horrible...but said that she would never have biological grandchildren. Though, she had to be optimistic. She had been down and depressed for far too long. "Well, I guess we should just hope for a miracle."

Dawn smiled. She had reacted way better than she had hoped.

* * *

Wow...now it's really over...and it only took a few more hours...

What's up with me and angsty endings?  
I dunno. It's just kinda how I wanted to end things I guess. At least Dawn's mother was optimistic

At least I fixed the relationship between Dawn and her mom

Well...I guess I have to start working on other things...or...hehehehehe...I could...just maybe...work on that new Fortuneshipping fiction  
Yup, behind everyone's back, I have been working on a new fic! Well, I actually briefly mentioned it awhile back. It was going to be called 'In search for Dawn' but now it will be called 'In search for Light'. Why the change? Well, in this fic, I will be using Japanese names. I am debating on whether to use the Japanese names for the Pokemon or not. It could get confusing even for myself.

But yeah, I used a generation five Pokemon here Choroneko...it's so friggen' cute


End file.
